The good left undone
by Stars.Are.Metaphors
Summary: 'To marry into the Otsutsuki family is to aid the Hyūga,' her father explained solemnly.
1. Chapter 1

**Genre: Romance/Drama**

 **Pairing: Hinata/Naruto**

 **Rating: M**

 **Summary: ''To marry into the Otsutsuki family is to aid the** **Hyūga** **,'' her father explained solemnly.**

 **Notes: This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but it got so out of hand that I, before I knew it, had already written over twenty-eight thousand words. So, I've decided to divide this story into two parts to make it an easier read. It's still super long. Waah. This story is a bit AU, loosely based on 'The Last: Naruto the movie' and takes place during that time period. Toneri is not a crazy alien hell-bent on destroying the earth, but he's still, well, Toneri. Sakura is captain of the NH ship, Sasuke is doing** _ **godknowswhat**_ **(bro, when you coming home, tho?) and also, Neji is alive, because Neji is sunshine, flowers and everything that is right in this world. No, Kishimoto, I will never be over his death.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

 **...**

 **The good left undone**

…

…

 _Chapter 1_

The sun was sinking as her father shuffled behind her.

In an odd manner, Hinata couldn't hear him breathing as if life came to him differently. The sky was a murky shade of splattered yellow, thick sweeps of orange and a faint crimson glow. Her legs were aching in their kneeled position in front of the green, dotted with white pillow that her father would frequently take a seat on, much in the same way as his eldest daughter. It was only today that he opted for an aimless stroll within the spacious room, lingering in front of the window a few times and drawing away one of the drapes to peer outside in thought. Once he found his mind sufficiently cleared, he would step away from the window to pace through the room again.

His steps finally halted. The light of the sun was dauntless, peeking through gapes and creaks and into the renowned Hyūga Hiashi's household.

''There comes a time when we must do what is best for our family.'' His voice was ever the loud without exerting pressure. The leader of the Hyūga clan demanded attention with just the accentuation of his words, the stretch of his letters and the unyielding way he spoke to his company. It was not the Hyūga who must tremble at the lisp of words in the presence of another soul, but the outsiders _._ And because of that—with her soft voice and light quips—Hinata could never be a _true_ Hyūga. ''And with a high rank in this social, but also organic stature of society, there is the prime matter off _upholding_ this rank. You, of all beings, are a part of our clan—one of the highest in our social regime—some may even go as far as to call you a princess. Nevertheless, it is not only the epithet that comes with your stature, but also certain duties. You must behave like a true member of the Hyūga clan; both in sustaining a well-bred speech and infallible battle skills,'' Hinata flinched, very aware that her _shinobi_ skills were not up to par with the overall high standards of the Hyūga clan. ''But most importantly, you must ensure the legacy of your people—of the clan—to unfurl.''

The clan leader shuffled to the green pillow, keeping his back to the young woman. In a declaration of respect, Hinata aimed her sight to the floor, slightly bowing her head. ''Tell me, Hinata, how does one keep a bloodline pure?''

The room was well ventilated, but a chill caught up to her skin even so. ''By breeding with their own… _kind_ , father,'' she squeaked, teeth clattering against each other. The air suddenly turned heady, it breathed wetly against her skin and Hinata felt smothered.

''And how do we ensure a stronger bloodline; one that may be even better than the former?'' Her father pressed.

Her answer was a raucous: ''By breeding with a _stronger_ bloodline, father.''

He curled his arms behind his back, entangling his fingers. The valiant sunlight touched his profile and slapped an eerie shadow of a taller, slender man across the floor boards.

''You are eighteen years old, my daughter, the heir to the Hyūga clan and I want nothing but the best for the clan _and_ you. To give you a husband that is nothing short but the best in both spheres is what we _all_ need.''

The cold numbed her senses. It must have gotten to her heart, because Hinata couldn't feel it beating or hear the telltale thumping that came with fright. An all-consuming shock that rendered the body completely impassive—like submersion into frosty water—took over. She tempered the shivers crawling like lice over her skin. This was no time to tremble in front of a man who regarded weakness with an scrutinizing, and bordering on repulsion, stare! Of the cruel distaste her father had cherished for the younger woman in front of him remained less than a scrape, but Hinata recalled the time of being _just off_ good enough as clear as the very lines that decorate the flat expanse of her hand. Her dark hair was limper than usual, dragging dubitable across her shoulders once she moved her head up to stare dazedly at her father's back.

''There is a suitor. He's an exceptional one, if I do say so myself. He will create a _Kekkei Genkai_ beyond our imagination. They call it the _Tenseigan_. You are to marry him, Hinata. He is to be your husband.''

Her father turned to face her and quickly, Hinata dropped her sight to the floor, hunching her back into the pliant position that had charmed her frail body ever since the clan leader sent one of the servants to retrieve her from her chambers. Her eyebrows were raised and neared her hairline. Her eyes shifted maniacally with fright and slivers of shock about her dilated pupils. She itched to push her fingers together in the nervous trait she swore she had outlived, but pushed her cut fingernails into her achy thighs instead. Hinata was relieved that the dark tresses of her hair covered the side of her face completely, shielding her horrified expression from the refined, older man watching her in case an uncomely reaction slithered down her face.

''To marry into the Otsutsuki family is to aid the Hyūga,'' her father explained solemnly. The air around his words begged for some form of retort, so Hinata agreed with a curt nod. ''We will have a familial meeting six days from now at the Hyūga residence. You will meet him, then.''

She didn't waste a beat. ''Yes, father,'' her thick tongue moved heavily in her mouth and for the life of her, Hinata couldn't understand how she was able to speak clearly in her moment of stupefaction without a single stutter. Perhaps the small words, rehearsed and used daily, even hourly, were too habitual to spoil.

''Good,'' he took a seat on the pillow and raised his head to look at the woman before him. ''Now return to your room and proceed your studies.''

''Yes, father.''

There was much Hinata could hide, like the emotions on her face. It naturally morphed into that of phlegm, but her heart was pounding, raging like a beast waking up and finding out it was caged. When she rose in a delirium, not quite aware of her surroundings, the clan leader witnessed something alike. As the story goes, it is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, though Hyūga Hiashi would be pressed to believe otherwise. Hinata was a kindhearted being, as she had proven time and time again, yet the eyes he was faced with were barren, hard like an unthawed lake in mid-Winter. The gentle being that was his daughter could not be found in pearls the color of lavender.

It was then that Hyūga Hiashi realized that even eyes could be wrong sometimes.

The walls and stairs were familiar and so were the pale eyed people passing Hinata, sharing a courteous nod every now and then as she walked. She reciprocated in a daze. Even in her lack-luster state, Hinata could not be unmannerly.

Although she couldn't understand why the walls around her turned hazy the closer she got to her destination… or why the air around her was suddenly wavy and contorted.

She closed her bedroom door behind her and dragged her heavy body to a brown box seated on top of her windowsill. Picking it up and sinking down to the floor, Hinata lifted the lid of the box up, placing it gently next to her on the floor. Almost fearful that any sudden movement would make too much sound and shake Hinata out of the trance-like-state she had found herself in. In the box laid the handiwork of a woolen cloth, curled in a heap of string and fabric. With trembling hands, Hinata picked the recently finished red cloth up and pushed it against her nose, burying her face against the downy and inhaling deeply as if the scent of salty seasoning she was imagining, had already soaked the cloth.

Taking the red scarf to face value again, she spotted shiny, little crystal like fluids on the fabric. Her sight was cleared, but it quickly filled with odd specks that blurred her sight on commando.

She raised a finger to her wet cheeks.

 _Tears_.

…

A stray, crumpled leaf rolled in front of a small café, not far from Ichiraku's. Winter had come without its snow, but the apathetic season had not forgone all its elements. It had taken nature hostage by withering its green into ash brown and dusty gray. Freezing the moisture in what remained of the dandelions and glass splinters into ice crystals; sculptures handcrafted by mother nature. The Hyūga heir sat perched on top of her stool, a cup of tea in her hand as her eyes engulfed the vast changing colors in front of her. The afternoon was quiet. The little café had a handful of souls sipping from their mugs and the sun hung low, casting a feint glow about Hinata's surroundings.

The eldest daughter of Hyūga Hiashi clenched her tiny hands around the cup. Fingers gone stiff from the morning cold were warmed by the flare of heat sizzling into her palms.

''Hinata…'' A kind voice called out. ''Are you okay?''

 _Oh_. Hinata had nearly forgotten her company. Unbecoming from a lady of her stature, of course. What would father say if he were to hear of his daughter's lack of manners?

Hinata snapped her head back to face the pink haired woman, forcing a smile to fill up the otherwise dreary ends of her face.

Sakura must have taken note of the sudden change in Hinata's demeanor, because a frown creased a way across her face. The Haruno girl was ever the observant, keen to pick up the dubious facial expressions of the young _shinobi_. What had Sakura changed over the years that had gone by! A matter of fact, what had they _both_ exceptionally changed over the course of these years. Once upon a time, Hinata wouldn't dream the thought of interacting with anyone other than her own shadow. But, Hinata supposed, only so many people could handle loneliness before the sentiment overflowed and drowned out their existence. Now, Hinata had grown into herself bit by bit and found a friend in Haruno Sakura. Hinata had always, secretly, envied the woman in front of her. Sakura possessed the ability to talk to and be with Sasuke-san—even though platonically—and how badly had Hinata wished for the strength to talk to Naruto in the same way; _be_ by his side even if his vicinage gutted her?

But alas, she hadn't progressed much and it was quite clear with Hinata's current situation that she would never be allowed to progress any further.

It was the life of a princess, Hinata supposed. Life was not hers, it was everyone else's and if she must sacrifice her happiness for that of everyone else, then she _must_.

''Yes,'' she answered quietly. ''I was just reminiscing something my father had said.''

Sakura's frown deepened. ''Was it something bad?''

''It was… _duty_ calling.'' She looked at the fingers splayed around the cup and widened the stretch. ''When duty calls you must answer. At least, that is what my father says. Duty must never be allowed to ring over.''

''Your dad's too harsh, Hinata. Sure, duty is important, but it's not the _most_ important thing. There are more important things than duty in this world and because of that, _yes_ , sometimes duty will have to catch a raincheck.'' Sakura paused. ''Do you want to talk about it?''

''No… It's okay.''

There was a blaring truth in Sakura's words. Life had too much meaning to be narrowed down to only duty, but Hinata had been taught otherwise for a very long time. The teachings of her elders had been ingrained into her core, grinded and rooted so it could flourish along her developing brain. Her clan rose above all else, didn't they? How could Hinata draw the line between duty and something as ostensibly and uncertain as the inexistent love between Naruto and she? Surely the welfare of her clan stuck patent above a makeshift possibility of anything with Naruto? It was an agonizing hope that Hinata had processed into a fruitless, infantile mindset. A stupid crush that had extended all throughout childhood and blossomed into a one-sided love. Only a child would harbor hope for a fairy-tale-like happy ending and Hinata hadn't been a child for a long time now.

Hinata dug her fingertips against the cup, preventing her body from falling into its customary trait of finger tapping.

''How about we change the subject to a lighter note?'' Sakura picked her unease out the air like a slow moving bug, trying to squash it in the best way she knew. ''The winter festival is in three days' time! You're going, right? Naruto's coming, too,'' Sakura honed her face with a sly smile.

Hinata blushed against better thought.

''Did you get him something?'' Sakura continued, flurried. ''If you haven't, then you should! This is your chance, Hinata! It is _the_ place to make a move. I have a gut feeling that once you give him a gift, he's sure to use his thick head properly for once and reciprocate your feelings.''

Hinata's stare shimmied down to the table, hands twirling the cup 'round just to occupy her fingers. ''I'm not sure, Sakura-chan. If Naruto-kun was indeed interested in me, wouldn't he have responded to my confession all those years ago?'' The truth that she had buried and attempted to seal away forever, under a heap full of denial and torn pride, spurted up, untamed and very much alive.

''He would have if he knew what you actually meant.''

Hinata frowned at that. What was Sakura trying to imply?

The fiery pink haired girl resumed, ''Naruto probably thought that your love confession was like... His love for ramen, I bet. Naruto's still short of a few brain cells to make sense of a love confession. He's risked his life plenty of times for his friends, so he must have thought that your sacrifice was just... well, a Naruto kind of move. Naruto doesn't—romantically—love every person he risks his life for, does he? So, he can't wrap his mind around the concept that someone could and would risk, absolutely everything, for him outside of friendship, but above all, _more_. That's all. If Naruto isn't familiar with a segment, he has trouble accepting that it could happen to him. Now, what _you_ have to do is untie a couple of those knots in that wired concept of his, so there's room for him to figure it out. A gift in a heavily romanticized setting like the winter festival is _the_ place to do it!''

Her heart clenched tightly beneath its confines and her breathing became labored. Subtly, she touched the left side of her chest, concealing the view of her eyes by bowing her head. Bangs tickled her eyelashes, but Hinata hardly noticed.

''Hinata,'' Sakura lowered her voice to a gentle purr. ''I know you're nervous, but I also know you're in love him, and _that_ ,'' Sakura knitted her eyebrows together considerately, ' _'has_ to count for something, right? That has to weigh more than your anxiety, shouldn't it?''

Her bottom lip shivered and Hinata had to bite it in order to keep the girl in front of her from prying.

''I'm—'' _beyond terrified_. ''I'm—'' _to be married_. ''I'm—'' _stuck_.

''Hey?''

She looked up, suppressing the tears that were pooling into her eyes like the start of relentless rain.

''You've spent so many years just on your toes trying to catch a glimpse of him. He may have never noticed, but everyone else has. You love him. If only for clarity, you should tell him how you feel, because you deserve that much, Hinata. You deserve happiness... and Naruto deserves it, too,'' Sakura smiled a bit ruefully. ''You two are perfect for each other, because you too are _right_ for each other. If you're too afraid to do it, because you fear rejection, than at least do it so you can look back with the thought that at one point you caught up to him. At one point you didn't have to stand on your toes to see Naruto, because you were right beside him... Even if it was just for a few minutes.''

Hinata tightened her hold around her shirt, fingers digging into the material. It was hopeless, was it not? How could she give him a scarf that was made out of her love for him when her love was promised to someone else?

But perhaps there was something else to the scarf than just her childish hopes. She didn't make it just because she loved him, but because Naruto was her hero and he had made her strong. For those reasons alone Hinata wanted to thank him. Even if he didn't know her feelings, he had always been by her side regardless. Those red strings that made up the embroidered were the Chūnin exam and the forest during cold winters surrounded by trees while sobbing her voice hoarse and her throat raw. It was the cruel, chasing children who wouldn't let up, because her eyes were slightly different than theirs. It was the grueling training sessions at the Hyūga mansion because Hinata just _had_ to catch up to him.

It were Naruto's _smiles_.

She should give it to him, because the scarf was so much more than love.

''Okay,'' she whispered and Sakura's eyes lit up. ''I'll give him a present.''

''That's my girl! Go for it.''

...

The moment Hinata entered the crowded courtyard, a lurching anxiety seized her tummy.

The square was surrounded by colorful lights that ranged from ruby red to fluorescent green. Dangling garlands of sunny yellow and gibbous orbs the color of the sky during the day sparkled, once the soft lights—curled around stands and pitched against high ends of the surrounding buildings—touched it. The music was loud and the people were bountiful, joyously gracing the make-shift dance floor that was nothing but a bed of grass and weed. Girls abound had found a counterpart to occupy their time with and had taken over the crooked benches in front of a glittering, expanding river, the stony pathway of the entrance hall, the stands with meals of all sorts and the here and there lurking stand that sold a few compact items. In case a girl had come empty handed.

It was the food stand with its ramen for sale that held Hinata's attention. The little stand had a red, curving canopy made out of thick plastic, and a row of high stools aligning the counter. Sakura was sitting next to a familiar head of cut, spiky blonde hair, but the young man itself was rendered inconspicuous. Hinata could barely see him, cramped and flocked with girls as he was.

The Hyūga heir clutched the paper bag against her chest to quell the sudden erratic thumping of her heartbeat.

She wasn't surprised, really. Hinata had always thought of Naruto as handsome—beautiful—an exceptional human being with his chiseled jaw and those enticing marks across his cheeks. It was only a matter of time before everyone else saw it, too. It wasn't their flaw for figuring it out later, but hers for not telling him sooner.

And why this pain? Had she not given up on her pointless struggle?

She was selfish; asking for Naruto's love, aware that if her own was to come it would be shackled and strained by the burden of her duty as the heir to the Hyūga clan. Nonetheless, Hinata wasn't emotionally prepared for the sight before her. In all honesty, watching her crush of a lifetime fall for someone else might never be a matter Hinata could prepare for. It was soul crushing like being scooped out from the inside and depraved of air.

Her legs were running the opposite way before she even realized it. The music had latched onto her senses, and Hinata could swear, it was screaming out her name.

...

''Hinata!''

She stiffened, instinctively pushing the paper bag against her chest as if to merge it with her skin.

 _That voice._ It was unforgettable. It haunted her in her dreams and followed her during her day-time fantasies, but _why_ was it calling her now?

Slowly, Hinata dragged her sight from the asphalt to stare at the main subject of her thoughts lately, although Naruto had frequented her thoughts even before the engagement.

She blushed hotly when their eyes met. His were their usual smiling blue, though Hinata spotted a feint, cautious flicker shifting through as he approached her foot by foot. Hers were wide, stretching as if they knew no end to their surprise, like a deer caught in headlights.

Hinata was so grateful for the night. The shading hid her expressions.

Naruto stopped moving and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his orange sweater, filling his face with a cheeky smile. ''Are you in a hurry?'' He began. ''I saw you at the festival, but when I called ya, you were already gone.'' She creased her eyebrows a little. The music that had seemed to blast her name had been an actual person—not just any person, but _Naruto_. ''Where're you off to so late, anyway? Your house is the other way 'round, yeah? Are you okay? Why'd you leave, 'ttabayo? Sakura really wanted to see you! She seemed miffed when ya left and then took it out on me,'' he breathed out a low, throaty laugh that rumbled her stomach with a swarm of swirling butterflies.

He drew his bandaged, right hand through the strands of his hair, looking down at her and morphing the gentle smile to one of dubiety. Naruto was unsure whether to pursue the matter in case Hinata desired to leave it be. Maybe he worried that questioning her sudden take-off would hit a sore nerve… which it would, kinda.

Then his eyes glazed over the package wormed in her grasp and he frowned.

Protectively, Hinata tried to shield it from his prying gaze, slightly curving her shoulder and aligning her body to face away from his, but it was too late.

''Oh, you've got a gift, too! What is it? Who's it for?'' But upon seeing her defensive poise, Naruto dropped his hand to his side. ''Sorry, not my business,'' he scratched the back of his head. ''Ah… Sometimes I get a little nosy.''

''It's okay,'' she whispered, trying very hard not to let her gaze dwell back to the ground. ''I like that you asked, because it means you're curious and... There's nothing wrong with curiosity. Knowledge is formed by curiosity,'' she reasoned.

Silence fell and Hinata grew into a nervous wreck with every second. His eyes wouldn't stop shifting across her face and for a moment, Hinata battled with the idea of reaching a hand up to her flaming cheeks and rub across it to remove anything that did not belong. Gradually, the urge to look at the asphalt won and Hinata dropped her gaze from his expressive blue eyes.

''Yeah,'' he cautioned. ''So, Hinata, would ya like to come up for a cup of ramen?''

Her head whipped up lightning fast. He was pointing a thumb towards the building to his right and it was only then that Hinata realized that she was standing _next_ to Naruto's apartment. Oh, wow, how had she not noticed that? Had her subconscious led her to the place her crush lived on purpose? What did that mean? Was this purely coincidence or was Naruto so ingrained into her being that she could not stray from him, no matter how hard she was willing to try?

He was grinning with his eyes closed in that endearing way of his and her heart fluttered. She had half a mind to say no. As a matter of fact, Hinata could feel the gears in her legs shift for a quick sprint, because _no way_ was she emotionally prepared for this, either. But the dead weight in her arms was prominent and cleaving. This was her chance to give him the gift. He needed to receive it. Naruto needed to know that she was thankful for him. Even if she could not control the strings of her life, she was glad that at one point their life strings had tangled. Hinata was set. Her life was settled and Hinata was willing to brave the storm for her family, but the only reason she was strong enough to go through with the engagement was because Naruto had taught her how to be strong… and what it meant to be brave.

''Oh—okay.''

His eyes widened brightly and a rapt grin uncurled his mouth. ''Great! Wait...'' His face compressed. '''S not a problem, right? 'S not like I'm gonna wake up screamin' in the middle of the night, 'cause Neji impaled my eye with a shuriken, yeah?''

She laughed, shaking her head as she walked towards his apartment door. He followed her.

''You shouldn't worry,'' she spoke quietly, curving her head so she could look at the orange cladded ninja strolling behind her with his hands propped in the pockets of his sweater. ''I wouldn't let him hurt you.''

She barely managed to catch the subtle shift in his eyes or the way his cautious frown turned into a little smile, but she did.

''You're really amazing, y'know?''

A flush crawled down her neck. If she didn't learn how to control this soon, before they reached a better lit room, Naruto would think she was a weird, man-made tomato.

They entered the apartment hallway and Hinata was assaulted with a chain of nerves. Though she had frequented this area of Naruto's home for...ah...academically purposes before, Hinata had never gone inside his building. Let alone _his_ _room_ ; the place he slept and showered in and... _oh_.

Hinata raised a hand to a heated cheek.

So much for _not_ being weird.

She allowed him to walk up the stairs in front of her, so he wouldn't notice that she knew his floor. She wasn't confident enough to feign oblivious if he questioned her pin-point direction skills, and with her spiraling nerves, Hinata was afraid that she would trip and do something stupid like fall into his arms.

They were there in a matter of seconds and before Hinata knew it, she was standing in Naruto's home.

He closed the door. ''Ah—sorry for the mess,'' Naruto quipped. ''Didn't have time to clean.''

''It's okay, Naruto-kun.'' She turned around to face him, a small smile on her face. There were a few clothes thrown haphazardly across the floor, boxes of ramen sat perched on top of a coffee table and if Hinata turned her head just the slightest bit to the right, she could gaze into Naruto's bedroom. The sheets were undone, drawers stood wide open and a trouser lay at the foot of the bed, but Hinata thought it was perfect.

She walked into his living room, eyes darting over the place and sealing this environment into her memory.

''Oh, well, okay. I'll go and grab us some food, then.'' He was gone in a flash, soundless like the intake of a breath.

Hinata took a seat on the edge of the brown sofa, unable to calm the pounding of her heart or her trembling, sweaty hands. Hinata relinquished her grip around the paper bag and wiped her sticky palms over her pants.

She could do this.

Just ramen, extend the scarf and be on the way. No biggie.

Her feet began tapping insistently on the carpet, nerves eating at her senses. It seemed as though she couldn't wait to leave his house with the way her hands were fumbling on top of her lap, reaching for the paper bag to grace her fingers against and pull them back into her lap to wring her hands together. Hinata couldn't stop moving, like a carousel. Anxiety was effectively kicking her butt and there was nothing she could do to steel the nerves. Hinata realized acutely that this may not have been such a good idea after all. It was very late in the evening and her father was expecting her home at ten pm. Time was closing in on the hour.

Actually, now that she thought about it, it wasn't _necessary_ for her to wait for Naruto. Hinata could leave the package on top of his coffee table and greet the windowsill with a parting bustle; end the heart wrenching twists in the pit of her stomach that were fear and something akin to… eagerness?

Then again, Naruto had graciously invited her in and Hinata had been taught better manners than quick dashes from windows without so much as an excuse, let alone a proper goodbye.

Her eyes caught sight of a framed picture and her twitching stopped. Here, Hinata faced an obstacle that brought her short of breath. An older Naruto-lookalike stood next to a beautiful woman with long, red hair that flowed down to her ankles. They were embracing; an arm to curl around a waist and pull intimately closer. The woman was grinning and Hinata instantly recognized that smile; a trademark inheritance that knew nothing of the impossible reach between life and death. It was stubborn, Hinata thought, like the boy who marked her dreams late at night. The woman made her chest contract in comfort, familiarity and just shy from the butterflies that flew 'round her stomach when it was _his face_ stretched and glowing.

Those were Naruto's parents, no doubt about it.

Now, Hinata understood why she couldn't be angry at the prospect of Naruto with someone else, because Naruto would be acknowledged for the wonderful person that she had always known him to be. He had a family, _finally_. He was _happy,_ and for him to smile like his mother, now and always to come, would be worth every crack Hinata had to glue back together to prevent the frail organ inside her chest from collapsing in itself. Too be frank, Hinata didn't think she possessed the ability to ever be angry at Naruto.

''You okay?''

Hinata stiffened. He was so quiet! She hadn't heard him come in, but there he was with two steaming bowls of ramen in his hands in all his golden, halo-like glory. He walked to the coffee table and placed the bowls on the craft before flopping down next to her. The seat cracked of years of misuse, writhing against the extra body weight.

Hinata reddened at the sudden proximate. Naruto didn't seem to notice her temporarily mental shutdown, because he slanted closer, forgoing any boundaries between them just to look at her face as if he could jut out her worries and wring them to dust with closer inspection. He was considerate, but her mind was reeling with the gush of his breath against her cheeks that splayed a few of her hair strands to the side and the scent of soy sauce and miso lingering in his clothes. His forearms were propped on top of his knees and his blue eyes, usually vibrant, were worriedly shifting across her face, trying to pry out her insecurities for further examination.

''I—I—'' Oh no, Hinata was malfunctioning again. Just when she thought she could speak without the trepidations of her tongue. She breathed in shallowly, ears flaring and hands shaking as she tangled the fingers together. ''I was just looking at your p—parents' picture.''

''Oh,'' he said. He shifted his eyes to the woodwork on top of his lonesome desk. His eyes drooped, but a lazy smile crawled up his face. He looked like a man at peace. After all, sadness shouldn't follow them for the rest of their lives. ''Don't be sad, alright? They wouldn't want me to be and I don't want you to be, 'ttebayo! Y'know that automatically means that _they_ wouldn't want ya to be sad,'' he shot her a grin. ''S'three against one, Hinata.''

She nodded vehemently. He was right.

''I'm not really sad, though,'' she tried and he quirked his eyebrow up. Hinata sought her words, arranged them accordingly and then spoke, ''I'm happy, too, because Naruto-kun has found a family. Sakura-chan, Sasuke-san—'' _me_ ; but then, only if he wants her to be. ''And everyone else in Konoha… All over the world, really. It makes me very happy.''

Silence fell with lurching limbs and suffocating fetters. She was shifting across the couch restlessly. The squeaking of furniture hinges became the loudest sound Hinata had ever heard.

''Happy,'' he mumbled, slightly confused.

She chanced a glance at the steaming bowl on the coffee table and wondered if she could just take it and start sipping. Surely Naruto wouldn't mind. Ramen tended to put him off-track.

Hinata brushed the thought away. She didn't trust her shaking hands to hold the meal without spilling it all over her lap.

''Ah—yes. We're friends and I want the best for you. Your happiness makes me happy.''

His confused stare was replaced with a broad smile. ''Leave it to Hinata to find happiness in someone else's happiness. You're amazing.''

Her heart razed in her chest. She shook her head quickly, readily denying this remark. ' _'You're_ amazing, Naruto-kun. You've always been, despite the odds and despite what many had thought. You became who you wanted to be and soon you'll be Hokage, because Naruto-kun can do it.'' She reached for his hands and to her surprise, he was the one to stiffen, a shy heat crawling up to his cheeks; faint and licit. Hinata wasn't sure what had come over her to be so brazen. Perhaps it was the prospect of never getting this chance again. A wedded heiress would surely spend most of her time at home, and for a bit, Hinata reveled in her slight act of insurgency. To add a decision in a hand full of choices that had been pre-determined. This time by herself and for herself. No one could take that from her. ''I had always watched you. Wanted to be like you. I've always admired you and—and if I'm amazing, then it's because of you.'' Hinata nodded firmly, proud, and released his hands as if they had burned her flesh instead of sideling her up with the kind of warmth that ushered goosebumps on and off her skin.

He looked down at the space left between their hands. Hinata realized sheepishly that Naruto hadn't moved too much from her face since he'd sat down, only a sliver of paper could breech them. Naruto wasn't known for keeping personal space. If anything, the closer Naruto could get, the better. Still, this was hardly anything Hinata had ever seen him do. Even by Naruto's standards this lack of space was just too close, and Hinata worried internally if the slightest movement would vaporize what was left of her air and fit them together like matching puzzle pieces.

Her heart thundered at the thought.

''Thank you,'' he murmured.

It was an instant desire to refute him. It was _Hinata_ who wanted to thank him after all he had done for her. Naruto was her hero. He had made her into the woman she was today, and if anything about her was worthy of praise— _his_ praise—then he had only himself to thank for it. But as his heavenly blue eyes glistered, crystal embed and besotted at the utterance of his gratitude, Hinata couldn't help but leave the subject unspoken. For whatever it counted, Hinata meant… something to him. In as much as Naruto was important to her, Hinata held a similar degree of significance that it almost moved Naruto to tears. Besides, Hinata was aware of the tension between them that was not awkward, but fragile in order to maintain what was left of the quaint peace.

Before Hinata lost her nerve she reached for the paper bag behind her and extended it to him. At the sight of the bag Naruto's eyebrows flew into his hairline and his mouth fell open. The same package she tried to hide mere minutes ago was presented to him as a gift.

She chose to ignore the fact that he had a scarf around his neck; a blue one, stripped with white and fitted snug around his throat. Although Naruto was already home and the room temperature didn't require the assistance of thick fabric, Naruto still wore it. Clearly the object was dear to him.

''For me?'' He asked, pressing his eyebrows together in confusion as he eyed the bag.

Hinata nodded when he looked at her for confirmation, and took it, wrinkling the bag in order to pull the mystery gift out. It was longer than his blue scarf, stretched far and low as Naruto held it up to look it over, but it didn't have any marks on top of it. It was a work of rope; soft like firm clouds, dainty and slightly fuzzy to ward of the cold. Hinata wondered if Naruto remembered; if the short silence was spent recalling a memory; if all words were empty in the face of this gesture and if meaning was allowed to be soundless.

''My mom once said,'' he started, sounding out of breath and absently rubbing a thumb over the wool. ''That she hated her hair. The color. Length, too. It stooped way down to her toes, y'know? She couldn't stand it, but after meeting my dad things'd changed. She said it became her own red thread of fate.''

''Then this can be your red thread of fate,'' she said it before the full meaning could register and when it did, Hinata blushed at the implication. Since he had giving her his full attention Hinata couldn't back down, although she continued with a stutter. ''Tha—that I'm here... and I—'' she looked at her lap, fingers digging deep into her thighs. Hinata cared so much for him—so much—and Naruto needed to know now more than ever that no matter the situation, no matter who she was tasked to be or promised to be _with_ , Hinata would always be there for him. _And that_ could not be tethered. They were bound together, Hinata would reach for the ninja in orange if only to let him know that she was still there. The scarf was prove of her undying support. It was their own red thread of fate.

Hinata felt his stare on her face glaring like the first peak of sunlight. ''I'm here for N—Naruto-kun.'' She filled the edges of her mouth with a tiny smile and looked up, bangs falling into her eyes.

A pink hue began dusting the bridge of Naruto's nose and like domino effect—Hinata's heart thumping in ridiculous speed—heat filled the untouched edges of her face.

''T—thank you, Hinata. A lot.'' Naruto held onto the fabric tightly as if he was afraid it would grow legs and run. ''I remember, y'know? About the woods. That's where this is from, right? You—you kept it all this time. Back then it was torn, I think, but ya fixed it,'' he added dully.

''It meant a lot to me.''

The ramen was forgotten. Naruto's eyes muddied into a shaded mazarine and Hinata, on high alert, noted the slow descend to her face. The way his eyes, golden blue, zeroed in on her lips and how his soft and salty breath glided into her parted mouth as if it was returning home. She could taste him on her tongue, warm. Eager in the slighted way air fluttered from his lips and teased her mouth.

Even so, as they neared to a heart stopping close, Hinata's senses kicked in. She rose deftly, feet struggling to inch _away_ from her life-time crush.

She could hear his breath still immediately, only now realizing just how loud it was. Hinata was almost afraid to look back. She wasn't prepared for what lay behind her.

''I—it's getting late. I should—''

''Can't you stay,'' Naruto rose with her and whispered into her hair, seemingly unaware of the mass induced shivers his breath coaxed on her skin, ''for a lil' bit?''

''M—my father must be worried.'' She purposefully added that last bit, knowing that Naruto would be too scared to go against her father's wishes and frozen glower.

And she was right. Naruto stumbled backwards deliriously. The back of his knees bumped against the couch as he attempted to throw his unusual behavior off with a shake of his head.

''Oh, yeah!'' He exclaimed. Hinata turned around to face him. His cheeks had pinked considerably. He was shifting his eyes across her face every now and then as he looked for his words. Unable to quiet down his sight, it would fall down to her lips like her mouth kept the words he needed hidden. ''Can't have Neji orchestrating my murder, right? Or ya dad for that matter,'' he joked.

She tested a smile, tangling her hands together. ''Goodnight, Naruto-kun.''

'''Night... Hinata—hey, Hinata,'' she paused on her way to the door and raised her head to look up into his eyes. He had again breeched the space between them, but he stood a foot away, nervously bobbing on the heels of his feet as if he didn't trust an immobile body. ''Do ya—can we hang out, sometime?'' He raised a hand to the back of his head, grinning crookedly and albeit a little shyly. ''Y'know, just you and me? When you have time, that is! And only if ya want to,'' he laughed nervously

She had to contain the squeals bubbling inside her chest. It was simply a request to hang out as friends! Hinata could still be friends with Naruto, and he hung out with plenty of girls, too. She was nothing special.

''I would like that, Naruto-kun.''

A smile blossomed on his face and Hinata's heart jumpstarted just to speed away.

''Okay,'' he murmured. ''Great!''

...

She found Naruto standing at the oak tree that stood proudly, tall and broad, meters away from the Hyūga compound. The leafs of the tree had withered away, branches sharp and brittle of days forgotten by people and lost in the cold. Patches of moss littered the tree trunk in a flippant endeavor to give it some color, but it failed in comparison to the man with the orange trousers and black and orange jacket leaning against the thick bark. He was staring at the forest next to him, seemingly unware of her presence, but Hinata knew of Naruto's impeccable sensory skills. He must have been aware of her presence the moment she stepped out of the compound on her way to one of the training fields to uphold her blossoming battle skills. For his goofiness Naruto knew, like no other, how to keep a clear mind at all times. Today, however, Naruto seemed lost in thought and it was indeed an odd sight to see him test his toes on anything Hyūga's soil. Even after all Naruto had done for Konoha, many of the Hyūga, including her father, were still wary of the orange novelty. It seemed as though Neji was the only one who had managed to grow out of his spite for the Uzumaki boy.

Hinata was a different case, of course. She had never hated Naruto to begin with. For her, love had always festered in small amounts until it had gradually overflowed.

Still, she approached him cautiously, heart thundering in her chest as the vision of him expanded. She could barely breathe properly or contain her jittery limbs as she neared him.

When Hinata stood mere centimeters away, Naruto looked up with his trademark grin on place and pocketed his hands. As she had thought, Naruto seemed neither shocked nor confused at the sight of her. He must have been aware of her lingering presence for quite some time now.

''N—Naruto-kun?'' She asked curiously. ''What are you doing here?''

He shrugged helplessly, ''We're gonna hang out, remember? I haven't forgotten.''

It was just yesterday when Hinata had given him the scarf, and though the fabric was vacant from his neck today in favor of the blue embroidered, Naruto was still here. For some reason this young man was adamant to spend some time with her. Could it mean that yesterday was just as important to him as it was to her?

It was a silly, selfish thought, so Hinata quickly brushed it away in favor of spending some time with Naruto.

''I was going to go to one of the training grounds. Do you want to accompany me?''

''Oh, yeah! I do wanna see how much stronger you've gotten. Could we—ah—after, grab something to eat? If you want, I mean, yeah?''

She nodded vehemently. She was prone to hunger after a session of training.

''I'd love to, Naruto-kun.''

…

Just as Hinata had suspected, she was nowhere near as good in combat as Naruto. She had managed to hold her own, but Naruto was faster and stronger. Though she had gotten several of hits in, even going as far as to cut his chakra points, Naruto was still very clever. He knew her skills; had fought plenty of Hyūga in his time to know the _dos_ and _don'ts_. A great ninja acquainted himself with the strengths of his opponent and endeavored to create a great defense. Naruto proved to be exactly that kind of ninja and was a useful teacher. He gave her pointers on where to hit and how to defuse. He steered her forward with kindness and an almost childlike rapture. His voice was very gentle, often playful; a streak he couldn't, and Hinata wouldn't want him to, wipe out of his speech. Every now and then Naruto would come to the conclusion that the best way to guide her into perfecting a skill was to touch her hand or hold her ankle. The skin on skin contact never failed to make her blush or her heart to skip a beat. Although Naruto's reactions were vastly different than her own. While her eyes shifted to look at his concentrated limbs, the flex of his fingers around her arm or the movement of his lips as the rumble of his voice bellowed, Naruto would stare at her with calculating eyes as if he was trying to venture into the brain of the unknown and pick out unheard of words.

They had always been two polar opposites that had somehow drifted into a compatible entity.

After, they had taken it upon themselves to go to Ichiraku's for ramen and had talked the whole way through and during their meal. Accurately speaking it was more Naruto doing the talking and Hinata bobbing her head, commenting insightfully or laughing. Hinata was laughing a lot, she realized. His goofy antics and his stroll through memory lane brought up the times Hinata had cherished the spiraling, out of contro troublemaker from Konohagakure. Naruto was a lot different now, more mature. He still had his moments; Naruto could never shake off his silliness, but he had an air about himself as he walked with his arms curled around the back of his head or sat down with his arms flailing and face twisting to fit a joke that spoke of seasoned and awareness _._ Only the life of a _shinobi_ could do that to a person, but Hinata cherished and loved this Naruto, too.

Their bowls sat empty on the counter, hers but one and Naruto's a pile of white glass and chopsticks. Hinata had his attention. Not long ago, the focused sight of his gaze would have caused her to reel in a sure way of energy depletion. Hinata's heart would accelerate madly until her brain shut down and her legs gave out, but the training sessions had eased out Hinata's nerves. Naruto made her comfortable. He asked questions and allowed her time to speak. He was kind, clueless and frowned outrageously—though, if ever asked, Hinata would have said it was beyond cute—when she told him that she had never gotten on top of the renowned Hokage Monument.

''Eh? But that's _the_ way to get in touch with your inner _shinobi_!''

It was also the way to get hunted down like pack of pariahs by ninja officers.

''It's not allowed,'' she said with a voice quiet and hoarse from all the laughter. ''I tend to shy away from things that are forbidden.''

''That does it!'' Naruto shouted, slamming a hand on top of the counter and dragging all the eyes in the little café to the pair. Ayame shook her head at him, but didn't falter as she placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of a starving customer. ''I'm gonna make ya live a little. From now on, Hinata,'' he grinned conspiratorially, making an anxious Hinata shiver. Something deviously handsome and insanely tantalizing in his smile caused her abdomen to clench, ''you and I are partners in crime!''

''Naruto, don't involve Hinata in your crazy stunts,'' Ayame scolded, rubbing a wet bowl with a green, speckled with red, cloth. ''She's innocent.''

''Don't worry,'' he said, wrapping his arm around Hinata's shoulder in a showcase of companionship, but it did little to quench the swirls in her stomach. Her face was sure to be as red as a strawberry. Naruto pulled her to his side, hand dangling just a little ways off from the curve of her breast. ''I'll make sure she's safe, believe it!'' Then he swiveled his head to look down at her and uncover her assent, not having counted for just how close he had pulled her in. Their faces were millimeters apart, noses close enough to smell the tasty ramen they had both consumed. She was hungry again, eager to taste more of this ramen that was something a tad different; a bit more Naruto and less Ichiraku. Her heart trembled at the sight of his shifting pupils flattening in front of her and irises darkening without either of them making a move.

The heady moment felt oddly like yesterday's short time spent together, when he had bowed closer for what Hinata feared to call anything but a platonic aspiration to understand the woman he had invited into his world.

''Oh—okay,'' Hinata whispered softly, fighting her way back on track. Naruto blinked once. ''I'll do it. Let's do it.''

Staggeringly, Naruto removed his arm from her shoulders, looking like a lost boy trying to gather his wits after being scolded for trying to snatch a cookie from the cookie jar.

He gathered himself and turned brightly towards Ayame. ''This calls for celebration! Ayame, ten more bowls of beef ramen!''

Ayame shook her head with a sigh, walking towards her father to give out the order. The owner of Ichiraku smiled endearingly at the energetic boy who had easily fallen into a vibrant story of the time he had performed an ' _awesome_ _prank'_ on Sasuke-san.

At one point, Hinata giggled.

''What?'' Naruto asked as silence had fallen while he tried to conjure the image of an enraged looking Uchiha Sasuke.

''I just thought that Naruto-kun hasn't changed much after all this time, and I really love that.''

He froze comically, eyes wide and arms spread akimbo as he stared at her. Little by little, Naruto began to thaw, allowing his shoulders to drop and a gentle smile to fill the corners of his face.

To this, the sure-to-become-Hokage-one-day, told her: ''Thank you.'' It were only two words, but it seemed to carry the weight of many. Jam-packed with unvoiced emotion that held onto Naruto's voice greedily.

''No,'' she whispered back, grappling kindly at the bowl Ayame placed in front of her. _''Thank you,''_ Hinata blew into the hot air sizzling about her face, before taking a lusty bite from the hot strings.

…

Hinata drew the flats of her hands across the soft, silken fabric of the red kimono which was decorated with purple and pink flowers. The waist of the dress tightened around her ribs as Hanabi entangled the ribbons in a flourish bow behind her back, ensuring the cloth to cling to the shape of her body. The mirror reflected the vision of a young woman in a traditional get-up, hair roped in a well-done braid, twisted in a thick bun and pinned low at the side of her head. Several strands of Hinata's bangs were brushed behind her left ear so the right side of her forehead was flanked in what looked like side-swept bangs. Her eyes were heavy with a reasonable amount of eyeliner and mascara. The sweep of scarlet on her lips was a prominent presence and Hinata frequently fought the urge to wipe her mouth clean with the back of her hand or lick the cosmetic off. Hanabi told her that swallowing it could cause a stomachache.

Her little sister worked in silence. Hanabi ushered Hinata into a pair of purple slippers, busied herself with streaking out nonexistent wrinkles from the kimono and as a finishing touch, pushed a sliver of long, blue hair back behind Hinata's ear.

''There,'' Hanabi said, looking passed her eldest sister's shoulder in order to stare at the mirror. ''All done. Now you look like a real princess.''

They were just in time. The Otsutsuki heir would be here in a few minutes, father had confided. The days had trickled by slowly on their way to the upcoming meeting day. Her palms were sweaty and her heart trashed crazed behind the confines of her ribcage, but even so, Hinata willed herself to be strong. Today, the young Hyūga heiress would be brave. Fear was a guarantee, but she would not allow it to shackle her. It had never kept Naruto from prospering and neither would it hold Hinata down.

''Eldest sister,'' Hanabi suddenly said, pulling the heiress out of her reverie. ''You're trembling.''

Hinata looked down at her pale fingers. Indeed, she was shaking. She clenched her hands together and pushed them against the curve of her thighs. The young woman inhaled a deep breath, trying to overpower the anxiety with sheer force of will. No one should be ashamed of fear; there were few things that came naturally and fear was one of them.

''It's okay, Hanabi-chan Just a bit of nerves.''

Their eyes met in the reflective glass and Hinata could tell with ease that the young girl beside her in the golden kimono with pink swirls and flowers, did not believe a word Hinata had said.

She placed a consoling hand on Hanabi's shoulder, looked down into similar eyes and smiled encouragingly, but for who this dispatched strength was aimed at was a mystery to the both of them. Then, Hinata moved away, holding her back straight and reminding herself to _keep breathing_.

She walked down the stairs, one cautious step at a time. Her slippers clacked wetly against her heels and rang sharply as they touched the treads. Hinata gripped the railing in order to aid her weak legs; to remind herself as long as the cold wood of the stairs ate at her skin, she was still in control.

She spotted him at the finally three treads, a clear one-of-a-kind among several of dark haired and pale eyed people. His hair was as white as the snow that had yet to litter the grounds of Konoha, his eyes were a warm green, his voice was gentle and his speech formal as he spoke to her father and addressed Neji appropriately. He didn't seem peeved at the sight of Neji-niisan and Hinata relinquished a fear she never knew she held. Neji was very dear to her. The thought of another family member disliking him churned her stomach.

The stranger sensed her presence with a stiffening halt and looked towards the stairs. He faltered in his speech. His pupils dilated and just softly, with a voice barely managing to inch from his mouth, excused himself to her father and Neji; who had both taken keen interest at her fiancé's reaction. He didn't seem much older than her, perhaps about two years, but he carried himself as though he had seen the vast world longer than he had been alive. Here he ended—quietly in front of the foothold of the treads while awaiting her descend—a slender man with skin as pale as smoke and hair air-blown, curled fashionably around his head to frame a delicate face.

Hinata was struck by the sudden urge to throw off her slippers and run to anywhere but _here_. Nevertheless, she held strong and found strength with the sturdy wood beneath her clammy fingertips. She gripped the railing tighter as she neared the floor, the tips of her feet finally landing.

The man bowed deeply. He snaked his grip around the fingertips of her right hand and fluttered a soft kiss on top of her knuckles.

''My princess,'' he whispered as he straightened his back. He was slightly taller than Naruto, so he had to keep his back just a bit curved in order to look at her face. He was too close for comfort, even though his voice was polite and his actions where honed and well-mannered. ''My name is Otsutsuki Toneri. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hinata of the Hyūga.''

Her own manners kicked in swiftly. ''The pleasure is all mine, Otsutsuki-san.''

''Please, _Toneri_ ,'' he smiled easily. ''I would like for us to be comfortable around each other.''

''Yes, Toneri-san.''

She ventured a look at her father and found that he had his chin raised and arms crossed behind his back in reverence. The thought of the famed leader of the Hyūga household baring pride for the otherwise, good for nothing eldest daughter, swelled up her chest. Still, an aftertaste hid behind her tongue and Hinata, try as she might, could not swallow it away.

''Now that the pleasantries have been exchanged, let us move into the dining room and continue our conversation there,'' her father said.

''That would be favorable, wouldn't it, Hinata-sama?'' Toneri had turned around to face her father, but as he addressed her, his face had curved slightly back and a small smile twitched his lips.

''Yes, Toneri-san.''

They moved into the dining room and took seats on the chairs surrounding an overly large table. Toneri sat in front of her, her father sat at the head of the table and Neji had excused himself to allow the three to converse in peace.

The pace was pleasant. Toneri had commendable interaction skills that kept her discerning father intent on listening as they waited for their meal. Their conversation revolved around politics. Toneri had a very insightful view regarding the exercising position of their Hokage and the hieratically organization of the local clans in Konoha that had rendered even Hinata interested. Silently she wondered what Naruto would think of Toneri's views, but she found herself quickly trying to suppress a giggle at the prospect of Naruto _listening_ to _anything_ political. He would have a drawn out, bored look on his face as he contemplated the quickest way to cut off his life force with a _kunai_. Looking at it now, Hinata realized that the two men were very different. Whereas Toneri had a calm and collected air about him, a cool reverence in his build that was not condescending, but a bit more heeding, with only one look at Naruto it was clear that Naruto was a very energetic, spontaneous and happy man. An unlikely ninja who wore bright orange. It was true that the sort of man Toneri was stemmed undulating with Hinata's personality. And yet, for all that the green eyed, odd smiling man was, Toneri wasn't the man Hinata _wanted_.

Thinking about Naruto now caused a stomachache.

''—the demur case of _jutsu_ is that it makes us dependent. Daily activities have been transformed into an enhanced skill set. To clean the dishes or to mop the floor cannot be done without the aid of _jutsu_. Even to sow a cloth requires strain now that we have other means to perfect the task. With but one skillset we, the human race, are rendered predictable, but beyond a doubt lethal. For something that had been designed to protect our nation, it has curiously altered into a weapon that has no other means but destruction.'' His voice was calm and collected, but there was no filtering the passion Toneri emitted. His tone grew heated, markedly complacent like speaking about dreams did to people; made them delirious and starved of desire, ' _'Taijutsu_ is a clear example of an enforced skill that harms our fellow man. This body skill's main objective is physical strength. A sure way to defeat an opponent by inflicting bodily harm.''

Hyūga Hiashi's frozen façade cracked the slightest with a small pull of his eyebrows and the slack of his jaw, almost imperceptibly easing his frozen glower, except from the eyes of his daughter. She had become well accustomed with her father's features to spot his blossoming interest. It was like distinguishing a color pattern with her _Byakugan_. Her father could not hide his expressions when he so obviously looked like a different man. It was odd seeing her father so interested in something that could potentially eradicate the very foundation of _jutsu_ while he claimed, and had so neatly built, an existence on chakra. Hinata must have missed something essential tuning the two men out.

''And how, may I ask, do you hope to change the current state of our society?'' Her father inquired, just the slightest bit suspicious.

Hinata did not like the glint spiraling in Toneri's gaze. His eyelids drooped to hang over his large, unblinking emerald eyes. His smile was thin lipped, cramped around his oval face in a way that made cold sweat run down her spine. Only a man with a plan could rest his shoulders to a subject he felt so earnest for. He could be at ease knowing that he had the means to change the world.

But it would only be a fool to spread his cards face forward across the table, and Toneri-san was no such fool. He had intelligent eyes and his smile, though often and small, was secretive. The truth lay locked and hidden behind his lips, comfortable to wait in its little cavern, Hinata was sure of it. ''Hiashi-sama, I am but a man of dreams who speaks his wishes freely. A world that lives off its habits cannot be changed, lest you rustle it's foundation, but what is a man without his foundation? The best I can do is change the world from within. One at a time,'' he directed his sight to her and she flinched reflexively. ''Through a new generation comes forth an anew world. Don't you think so, Hinata-sama?''

She felt the weight of their stares upon her, forcing her to keep from shuffling her feet or fumbling with her hands. She knew what Toneri wanted her to say, but Hinata did not agree. This was their world. This was what they had come to know and love. It was an imperfect world, yes, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. And Hinata believed that one could never know good if they had not come to lose it. It was the nuisances in life that made the good moments taste all the more sweeter.

That, was what she believed.

She bit the tip of her tongue to keep from speaking her mind. The clan head would not like that. A wife had to be pliant, back straight and head bowed in a manner of subservience and kindness. But most of all a wife's words were meant to be equal to her husband's. A perfect pair were those who saw eye to eye. The leaders of a clan were supposed to be compatible. Hinata's mother wasn't like that. Though quiet in nature, the woman had visions, dreams and wishes that she was not afraid to utter out loud. A lot had changed after her mother's passing to the point that Hinata had found herself at a bifurcation of fear and incompetence. Her silent nature had grown and rooted. It had staked claim on her mind and soul. There were certain things that could never be jostled. As it was, the human race was haunted by memories.

Her unease had festered with limp strings around her heart. She could not shake off the fear that oozed in drips. ''Yes, Toneri-san,'' she breezed quietly, staring at the table.

She could hear the smile straining against his words. ''I am happy we see eye to eye, Hinata-sama.''

The servants came in to place their food on top of the table. They huddled around quietly to keep from disturbing her father's and Toneri's conversation, which had picked up its gentle pace again. The fumes of her meal wafted upwards and drifted passed her eyes. It was hot. It was better to allow it to cool for a bit instead of burning her tongue. Manners were important, after all. A lady must not appear covetous.

Father enjoyed the snow haired man's company. He wasn't restless, not after finding a good partner for his eldest daughter; a perfect heir for a prospering clan and a potent parent for his posterity.

Her father was content.

Toneri would be a good husband.

…

She left the mansion still cladded in the new kimono that Hanabi had hiked her in, after Toneri had taken his leave an hour ago, to get some fresh air. Dinner had been a suffocating event with Toneri casting her glances twice a minute, short from inquiring her about his adamant views and a little more than curious when his eyesight dwelled across the sliver of skin at the hollow of her throat, smoothed down to the slight gap leading to her collarbone. She hadn't gotten any wiser of the man her father had asked her to marry, if only for his warped view of the world and his questionable motives. He didn't have the _Byakugan_ , if the shape and color of his eyes were any prove, yet her father deemed the Otsutsukiheir equipped enough to create a bloodline beyond their imagination. What was she missing? What did the mysterious clan heir possess that was so powerful? Hinata was almost afraid to know. Her father called it the _Tenseigan_ , but surely this _Kekkei_ _Genkai_ couldn't be so powerful that it was worth incinerating Hinata's future—

 _No_.

She was not allowed to think so selfishly. Her future was the clan's future. Her life was their life. She lived to protect her family and build them up. If sacrificing her virtue for her clan was necessary, then so be it. Hinata would do it.

She tightly wrapped her arms around her torso when her insides began to churn savagely. She would follow their wishes reluctantly, her body relayed. Her heart wasn't in it and however important selflessness ought to be, it still wasn't fair. A million pinpricks were impaling her organs, breathing proved dependent on her sobriety and without it, Hinata could hardly keep standing. The ground was sturdy beneath her feet, but it felt odd; as her life grew unstable, the world carried on stouthearted.

''H—Hinata?''

She whirled around to the voice with a fervent pounding heart that only reacted so painfully disproportionate at the sound of _his_ voice. Naruto was a lot quieter than usual, gingerly inching out her name and supporting his weight on the oak tree that Hinata had subconsciously walked towards. He stepped out of the thin shadows created by the branches, hand curled tightly against the bark while his eyes slowly trailed down her form. The longer he stared, the worse the strain in his hand became, tensing and flexing against the tree trunk as if the wood kept him stable. His eyes roamed the round shape of her hips, closed in on the expanse of her chest and finally halted at her face.

Nervously, Hinata dropped her arms and grabbed her left elbow with her right hand, hugging her chest against the slender curve of her upper arm. Naruto was here again. It was late afternoon. The sun had started filling the sky with a molten gold stretch and choky spots of red. The light still gleamed vividly around them so anyone could see him— _Toneri_ could have seen him, or worse, _Naruto_ could have seen Toneri. Hinata felt light headed just thinking about those two meeting each other.

''N—Naruto-kun, how long have you been standing here?''

Naruto was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth repeatedly, simply to close it again, gasping for words and desperately trying to figure out what to say and straining to speak. He kept so air-stifling quiet, Hinata started to fidget nervously with her feet. Naruto was blatantly _staring_ at her. Maybe it was because of the kimono? Was it too revealing, or was it the make-up; did Hinata look like an ungodly succubus?

''I'm sorry,'' she decided then, staring at her toes.

His reaction was quick, waving his hands in front of him. ''What? No! What are _you_ apologizing for?'' Naruto pushed himself off the tree and took several steps closer. Hinata could see his toes poking from his sandals.

''I seem to have caused you distress,'' she settled on.

''You haven't, Hinata— _Hi-na-ta_ ,'' Naruto reached for her face with an index finger and thumb when she didn't respond to the way he stretched her name, and curled his fingers around her chin. She was too stupefied to resist his touch, simply because _Uzumaki_ _Naruto_ was actually touching _her_ _face,_ and it was short from the curve of her mouth. It was a surreal occurrence that had, too many times, crossed her shaking eyes in an intimate dream. A blush covered the base of his nose as he realized their proximate, but he didn't falter. His coarse fingertip traced the outline of her cupid's bow like the fine hairs of a brush, down to the dip beneath her bottom lip and rested there. Nerves rumbled inside her chest and her tummy swirled around madly, but the moment was sweet. ' _'I'm_ sorry. I'm acting like an idiot. I was just surprised. You look pretty,'' he added in a final, croaked whisper.

''Oh,'' was her unintelligent retort.

 _Oh_ , indeed. Naruto thought she was pretty. Her face flushed crimson red. Hinata must have died and gone to heaven.

''I guess I'm interrupting something, huh?''

She blinked stupidly. He was so close it seemed like the air between them was disappearing in favor of their gravitating bodies.

''I had—''

Hinata started out of the moment and came crashing down.

Oh sheesh, they were this close _in front_ of the mansion. Her father would have Naruto's head if he happened to peak between the drapes of his studies and over the courtyard. She couldn't risk Naruto's life like that. What was she thinking?

Hinata moved out of his embrace, leaving Naruto's hand to drop limply down his side. Her recoil didn't seem to affect him, mainly since Naruto didn't seem quite aware of _anything_ around him.

''—a meeting of sort,'' she added in an afterthought.

He nodded, blinking his haze away. ''I should've asked if you had time, I guess. I sort'f thought that if I just came here you'd be available, or somethin'? Not that I expect you to wait around for me!'' Naruto amended uneasy, waving his hands as if to clear any misinterpretation. ''It was more like an idle hope? You know, I thought I could gather up some courage and knock on the door, but that didn't really end up where I was aiming for… I chickened out, ha-ha.''

Hinata restrained a gasp. Naruto might have been standing here for a few minutes or even hours waiting for a woman he wasn't sure would ever come.

Her heart skipped an odd beat.

''I promised I'd take you to the Hokage Monument, remember? I thought today was as good as any other day.''

She tangled her hands together.

''But… you seem… busy,'' he noted dubiously. ''So, how 'bout tomorrow?''

Hinata looked into his hopeful blue eyes and realized she could never say 'no' to him. Besides, wasn't it only fair that someone who was about to lose their freedom could spend the little free time they had with the one person they loved? Could Hinata be granted this wish; was she finally allowed to do what she desired?

It was a selfish thought, but where was her selflessness supposed to end?

''Tomorrow sounds great, Naruto-kun.''

A smile spread across his face. It was shyer than his usual boisterous grin, timid and innocent. He was tentatively trying out an unfamiliar emotion that caused Hinata's tummy to vault up. ''I'll see you here, then, at the oak tree, around two?''

''Yes, I'll be here.''

''Great!'' He began walking backwards and bumped haphazardly against the tree, head snapping back with a _thunk_. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, muffling the _eek_ that slipped through at the sight of what must have been a very painful collision. ''D—don't worry,'' he tried. ''Gotta thick head.'' To prove his point, Naruto knocked on the offended spot a few times with a lopsided grin. ''Two it is, tomorrow,'' and proceeded onwards with unperturbed steps. Slowly, the number one unpredictable ninja rubbed the back of his head and repressed a wince. ''I'll show you the whole of Konoha, Hinata, believe it! There's nothing like the view on top of the monument, I'll tell you. It'll blow your mind!''

''I'm sure it will,'' she said, smiling against her palm at his (failed) attempt of appearing unruffled.

He stumbled across the grass, managing with flailing arms and shuffling legs to keep his balance. ''Ah—crap— _shit_ —!'' Naruto grumbled underneath his breath, trying to maintain balance and succeeding… barely. He mumbled a few choice words, dragging out the kind of colorful expletives that would make even Hyūga Hiashi flush strawberry red. ''Tomorrow. Promised,'' and then, with a rickety stature and a heated face, Naruto disappeared into the bushes.

Her hand dropped from her mouth as she stared at the last spot Naruto had been standing on until night emerged and cladded her shape in darkness.

Hinata would restlessly watch the sky later that night. Unable to sleep.

…

…

…

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**...**

 **The good left undone**

…

…

 _Chapter 2_

On the morning of an ordinary day, two avid _shinobi_ billowed through the streets of Konoha. Stripes of orange and purple could be seen dashing down the markets, roving across squeaky roof panels and blowing crumpled pieces of papers and light weighted linen off into the sky. Forgotten pebbles soared upwards like fired projectiles and came crashing down when they lost sight of their target. From a distance those strange colors looked like an entity. A soft pink, it seemed, and a young boy with a head full of brown, shaggy hair squinted his eyes at the rare view as he stood amongst his teammates on the crowded streets. He hiked up his forehead protector as if it was preventing him from using his sight to the fullest and tipped his head up, stretching his back profoundly to extend his small size.

Konohamaru blinked a couple times at the view of the two ninja hurrying passed, and with an amused grin playing on his lips thought of those colors as complementary.

Their movement became increasingly more calculated when they jumped up; pin-pointing the angles of high buildings and levelling their sights at flat plains for smooth landings. Naruto's hand tightened around Hinata's palm whenever they neared a slippery slope, pulled her closer when a panel looked fragile enough that it might just break underneath their weight and plaited their fingers together when they were close enough to see the hewn cracks of faces both _shinobi_ had grown up looking towards. Naruto supported her even during times when Hinata hadn't realized she needed any support.

It was almost a little frightening how attentive he really was.

He gave her a squeeze as they seared the final centimeters towards their destination and dropped on top of the hewn statue, knees slightly bent to mind their ankles and mouths parted when confronted with what could arguably be a piece of heaven.

Konoha was a village marked by greens; that was something to be noted. Trees stretched tall most days and crimps of forest green leaves decorated their edges. But winter was relentless this time of the year. The sky had wept icicles as if its days were numbered, valiantly draping the village of green with blankets of white as if to leave prove of its existence. This was what it felt like to be on top of the world, to taste the wind that reached for the stars and live to tell its tale.

Hinata felt worthy.

''It's cold.''

She jostled out of her reverie and snapped her head to the voice.

Naruto was staring at her bare shoulder. His eyes traced the tiny bumps that had festered there after her skin had been seized by the cold. Naruto must have sensed her curious eyes, because he suddenly glanced up to her, flinched and bashfully darted his sight to the hazy sky.

''The kind of cold that runs skin deep,'' the orange ninja finished.

His feet edged forward until his toes poked over the ledge of the statue that rose meters up from the rackety road below them. Naruto sat down cross-legged and Hinata followed suit.

She nodded her assent, then realized with a start that he couldn't see her. A wide-eyed and flustered Hinata hurried for her words before Naruto could get it into his mind that she might be ignoring him, ''It is.''

''Why're you wearing something short-sleeved anyway?'' Naruto inquired then, tone light and missing the way she had panicked just five seconds ago.

It was the new ninja attire that the Sixth had designed, short sleeved and skintight. Hinata couldn't wear the long skirt she tended to wear when off-duty for a day of jumping and climbing on and off buildings, because accidents happened when skirts went flying abound. Legs got trapped and bones got broken.

''It's the new _shinobi_ outfit Hokage-sama had come up with,'' she said.

'' _Tch_ ,'' Naruto muttered, ostensibly having a short quarrel with himself that had Hinata looking back in an odd fixture of interest. ''Old pervert…''

Knowing it was his instructor—who, often than less, kept a suspicious little book in the tresses of his dress—warranting Naruto's displeasure, Hinata couldn't help but giggle to herself. Which made her receive another sideways glance from the young ninja next to her and the darkening of his already reddened, cold-bitten cheeks.

''I'm fine anyway,'' she tried to ease his aggravation. Hinata was sure Hokage-sama had a proper reason for the switch in clothes, ''I can handle the cold.''

''I know you can, 'ttabayo.'' Naruto leaned back, balancing his weight on his forearms. ''Hinata's strong. There isn't anything you can't do, believe it!'' Her heart fluttered at the compliment. To think he thought so highly of her… Hinata bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. ''So, whaddaya think?'' Naruto stretched his arms akimbo, hands held up high above her head like they were embracing the village. Sunlight slipped passed his fingers, dripping on her face in long stripes and Hinata had to hold up her own hand to shield her eyes from the sharp light. The mist was settling, Hinata realized, breathlessly watching the blue-eyed hero in front of her. The sun must have realized it too; Naruto was someone who belonged in a place where the sun sought after him instead of the other way around. ''Every time I come here and look over the houses, see the people walking down the roads with carriages or hear old friends hold idle talks while passing by, I think _, this is what I fought for._ So the cranky old man can sell his cabbages, the kids can run around carefree and the friends can meet up and talk about everything and nothing. I sit here—right here—and look up,'' he curled his fingers into fists and peeked passed his long, golden eyelashes towards a fraction of the world, ''And I am reminded of what I want to fight for. Why I want to be Hokage and why I won't stop.'' Naruto grinned cheekily, closing his eyes and pushing his bandaged hand through his hair. He allowed his other arm to rest gently on the statue. ''It's silly, huh? Needing to be reminded, that is. I already know what I want to protect, but sometimes… I dunno, I get a little lost? Is that normal. Is that okay for the hero to say?''

Her hand reached for him. The urge to comfort Naruto was strong, but halfway through Hinata dropped her hand. There was a fear in her heart that weighed more than her desire to hold him, brush a hand against his cheek or whisper in his ear that she was here… and that everything was okay.

She curled her fingers into her palm and brought it towards her chest as if she could support her aching heart. Hinata pressed down hard and took a deep breath to console her jittery feelings. She was just going to have to try and help him from her current position. ''It's okay, Naruto-kun. We're human. Sometimes we tremble. It's part of our existence. I don't think there's anything _ab_ normal about something as natural as uncertainty.''

He stared at the sky for a long, hard time, mulling her words over. And Hinata took her time watching his pensive face, wishing she could read the thoughts plaguing his mind.

''As long as I figure it out later, right? Then it's okay.''

She nodded, ''Yes, and this place is beautiful, Naruto-kun. I love the scenery and look—'' she pointed at a little stand with the white boards that signified Naruto's favorite place to be. The shop stood out with its red text. ''That's _Ichiraku_! And I see your apartment right over there!'' A short way from the little stand was the building Naruto took residence in. It looked a little mysterious shaded by the parting fog and gold sunlight.

Naruto peered passed her finger and soon enough a grin stretched across his face. ''It sure is!'' He laughed heartedly. ''You really love it here, eh?''

''I do,'' Hinata glanced back. ''I can see why Naruto-kun loves it here, too. Konoha has a beautiful view.''

''Yeah,'' his grin smoothed around the edges as they looked at each other, both reminiscing the village they had come to know as home. ''When I'm way old, like, baa-chan old and my face is carved next to all these great people, I'd like to come up here for old time's sake.''

''May I join you then?'' Hinata flapped out.

His eyes widened like saucers, causing her cheeks to taint a hot red. Hinata desperately fought through the panicky haze inside her mind to clarify her words accordingly and managed to make sense of her jumbled up words. ''I mean—I've always… looked up to you and followed you… and wanted to be by Naruto-kun's side.'' Hinata entertained the thought of her face melting off with the heat that chiseled her cheeks while she tried to force the rest of her words out, ''I—I would like to be there when you feel like coming back here… for old time's sake.''

His eyes glimmered as bright as an evening sky fraught with stars. They swayed quietly to-and-fro, flickering… like they were planning an escape.

''I'd really like that,'' he mumbled, at last chasing out his breath. ''I'll pick you up at the ol' oak tree at midnight so you can see what Konoha is like underneath the moon. We don't even have to wait until the years kick in. We can do it whenever, if you'd like, yeah?''

Hinata realized involuntarily that they were planning their way through life hand-in-hand like two stumbling teens at the foot of adulthood. Ignorant and hopeful as they could come and oblivious of the fact that they hadn't been kids for a while.

''I do want it,'' Hinata admitted. ''Promise?''

He stared at her as if the idea of breaking her trusting heart was a sure way to earn a one-way ticket to hell. ''Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.''

Afterwards, Hinata and Naruto rested quietly on top of the heads of mighty heroes in a temperate, comfortable silence until it was time to go.

…

They moved their way through the month. Naruto arrived every dawn break to take her out, whether it was for training, walking around the old streets of Konoha just to talk or to eat at Ichiraku's. Hinata had never spent so much time with Naruto in a week, even in their schooling days, let alone a month. Nowadays it was hard to imagine a day without his boisterous grin filling up the full-scale of her vision.

And thus, in her numbered days of maidenhood, Hinata cherished every day as if it were her last one on earth.

…

Sakura stared at the occupant of the seat in front of her with a tight frown marring her face.

To say she was annoyed would be an understatement. Sakura was bordering on livid. It wasn't nearly the right time for a blossoming young woman—such as herself—to start her rarely seen _free_ day. There were no missions lined up for Team 7 and the hospital had specifically scheduled a day-off for their hardworking trainee in order to show their appreciation for her work. After all, Sakura was a skilled medical nin and any hospital would be glad to have Sakura on board after she had worked underneath the renowned Tsunade.

So why the hell did Sakura have to wake up at an ungodly hour for the lumbering doofus known as Uzumaki Naruto?

Her eyes were drooping and Sakura was sure that heavy, darkened bags had settled underneath them in an unappealing, perhaps even terrifying manner. Not to mention the turtle dotting pajamas that she still had on. Her idiot of a friend, although Sakura was seriously considering having his friend-card revoked, had very well _dragged_ her out of her bed—seriously, could he not have talked to her inside her house where it was warm and Sakura could gather her wits—shoved her into a meager little café that, in her cloudy mind, oddly resembled Hinata and Sakura's frequent place to be—and maintained a stretching silence that was worth pulling out the pink hairs from her damn head.

 _Dammit_ , whatever he wanted to share _better_ be good.

On second thought, Sakura was too frustrated to wait for a good reason. The best approach was to schedule his funeral. Cause of death: table chair to the head. May his gravestone warn all others against idiocy.

Her hand on top of the smooth surface of the table tightened into a fist as she stared at the grinning fool in front of her. Apparently Naruto, in his haste to bring her into the café, couldn't unravel the pilling heap of annoyance that was festering on Sakura's face. And if he could, he didn't let on.

''You—'' Sakura began hoarsely with a lilt of what was to come curled around her tongue and heavy remnants of fatigue laced right through her voice. Sakura instantly cut herself short when the jovial facade of the idiot crumbled away. Naruto's hands, which were usually reaching out to whoever needed them, caught his eerie sorrowful face in his hands and settled on carrying only one stricken soul for today.

What… in the world? Sakura's anger took a turn for concern, unfurling the wrinkles that had formed on top of her forehead and forcing a crease between her eyebrows. This was very, very troubling. To see Naruto's hunched form and depressing demeanor was much like the talk of legends. The bright and energetic orange ninja was as happy as people could come, so what the hell was she witnessing?

…Even idiots had their off-days, huh?

Suddenly, Naruto began a knotty monologue with a voice hoarse from something more than sleep.

''I'm _haunted_ by Hinata, Sakura-chan,'' Naruto drove passed his lips, breath hot as it steeped his upturned palms. ''I don't know what this is, 'ttabayo. I can't go to sleep without dreaming of her, I can't wake up without thinking about her and I can't go through a day without being around her. She's on my mind twenty-four-seven. I'll think of her smile as if every time's the first I've seen it or look at her face like I can't believe she's real. I want to do something 'bout the way it squeezes my heart to the point that it's getting harder for me to breathe. My stomach twists, like, _crazy_ and I can't really think when I'm around her. Everything I tell her sounds lame or stupid even though it sounded cool inside my mind and—just—I dunno what's happening to me. All I know is she's the cause.''

Realization struck Sakura kinder than she would have thought.

Sakura's eyes travelled to the open window and up to the sky. It was a beautiful, clear blue day. A sweet combination with the pilling snow on the ground. Even though mornings weren't one of her favorite things, this particularly nasty start of the day hadn't turned out so bad after all.

After a few seconds aimlessly staring and drawing in calming breaths, Sakura turned around to face him and grinded her teeth together as she enhanced her following syllables: ''I—di—ot.''

Naruto flinched back at her insult. Gone was the wide-eyed, deer caught in headlights look that he had been sporting and in came the slight slant of his eyebrows and creasing in between as though he couldn't believe her lack of mercy for his emotional state, but after all, what was she to say? He was an idiot. The biggest she had ever encountered!

Sakura sighed, ''Doesn't that just mean you're in love?''

It was a one in a lifetime experience seeing the various emotions cascading across Naruto's face in blinding speed. First there was shock shooting his eyebrows up to his hairline, his mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish grasping for water. Then came fear scrunching the base of his nose, drawing his lips apart to allow a repressed gasp to escape. And lastly, along with his curving shoulders, the young man in front of her rested, his spine curled inwards and he blinked stupidly. The tension in his nerves oozed out when the truth settled in cold.

''Ah,'' he said, leaning back into his chair. Naruto's sight dwelled over the table, unfocused as if its attention was captured by something within. ''I see,'' he muttered finally.

They stayed quiet for quite some time. A handful of customers had since then come and gone in silence, moving to start their days. All except for the two _shinobi_ who were occupying a little table in the back corner of the cafe. These two had been suspended in time in an attempt to figure out where they stood and how they could move forward.

The burning question, a logical conclusion after the great revelation, itched at the back of Naruto's throat and was uttered at last, ''What do I do?''

''Simple,'' Sakura shrugged. ''You tell her.''

His eyes widened in, admittedly, _irrational_ fear. Everyone in Konoha—hell everyone across the world—knew about Hinata's feelings for Naruto. There would be no rejection. It was a painful reminder for Sakura that she hadn't gotten any further with Sasuke. Their lack of a relationship was an uncertain and confusing 'will we or won't we' compared to Naruto's and Hinata's mutual love. Sakura thought about this for a split second while watching his fearful expression, before allowing her gaze to sweep to the window at her side again and tentatively brushing across their shared past. ''What you feel for her is different from what you felt for me, right? Didn't you pursue me because you wanted to compete with Sasuke-kun? But… It's different with Hinata, isn't it?'' Sakura smiled up at him, tracing the way the fear melted off his face along her warm words. ''You actually love her.''

It wasn't a question and thus she didn't expect an answer, but once his lips parted and he told her that he did—did _love_ the endearing Hyūga—Sakura felt oddly satisfied.

''I get it,'' Naruto said. ''Sheesh,'' he brushed his right hand across his face. ''How'd I not see it before? Oh… because I'm an idiot—now I get that one, too.''

''Now that you understand,'' she leaned in, placing her elbows on top of the table and piercing him with a suggestive look. Swallowing tightly, Konoha's number one troublemaker stared back, waiting at the edge of his seat. ''What are you going to do about it?''

…

''It is a lively village compared to my own.''

''Konoha had many misfortunes. Not long ago a great battle had torn through these cities, bleeding out its citizens and pulverizing their homes.'' Neji allowed his gaze to dwell over the houses that had once upon a time been rendered into dust, scrapes of wood and heaps of stone, but now stood tall and proud and inked in the colors of life. ''It's odd how a few years can change a town so thoroughly that its history is only evident to the eyes of a selective group of people.'' Neji sighed. His thoughts were treading steep places, so he steered himself away from the wars they had been forced to face and to the future that laid ahead. ''But those are times that belong in the past. This is indeed the true nature of our village, Otsutsuki-sama.''

''Then I compliment these people for their ability to reconstruct something that was once part of this earth, don't you, Hinata-sama?'' Toneri asked, glancing down to the petite woman next to him.

The woman in question rushed for a retort, ''Yes, I agree.''

It was the early mornings of a new day and Neji and Hinata had been tasked to lead the Otsutsuki heir around Konoha in an attempt to further strengthen the bond between the to-be-wed couple. Sadly, Hinata remained passive. It's wasn't out of character. Hinata had always been a quiet person, shy by nature and hesitant to speak up lest her words strike a wrong cord. But, she must admit, after being around Naruto for the past couple of weeks Hinata had found that within her lay another being not at all different from the current woman, but significantly altered at almost unseen fractions. So had Hinata come to realize the joy of asking follow-up questions or simply laughing for the sake of expressing her happiness. But walking around her village with Toneri wasn't a desirable situation and as such, Hinata dragged her feet alongside him.

Hoping that he wouldn't pick up on her discomfort she, like her cousin, allowed her eyes to dwell over the village, keeping one ear open for the conversation and another to the quiet bustling of the people around them.

Which was how she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair walking towards them, accompanied by his female teammate, and both lost in the conversation they were having.

Hinata hadn't even noticed that she had instantaneously frozen in her footsteps until the heir of the Otsutsuki clan tentatively touched upon her name, ''Hinata-sama?''

Something was fizzling to the surface, a stellar weight that crawled up her throat and clung to the back of her tongue. Her mouth opened to push it out; to clip the pressure at its roots and claim back the words as her own, but nothing found its way out except for another gush of air. It seemed like Toneri was trying to figure out _what_ was holding her back, Neji had already caught on it being a _who_.

This hesitation on her part made no sense. Hadn't she already decided to do what was best for her family a long time ago?

And yet…

''Hinata-sama,'' Toneri repeated. This time the beginnings of a frown were showing up on his face.

Not good. Her father would hear about Toneri's displeasure if Hinata kept this up.

It was almost as if her cousin could read her mind or perhaps he understood the consequences of her actions better than she did, considering he shot her a pointed look that was more telling than words.

 _I know, Neji-nisan,_ Hinata thought, shuttering her eyes.

 _Duty must never be allowed to ring ove_ r.

She cracked a smile that felt too terse on her face and managed a response, ''I'm fine, Toneri-san. I was just admiring the snow.''

''I see,'' he said, and whether he was inclined to peel away her lies and uncover the truth or settle for her spoken words, the Otsutsuki heir decidedly grabbed what she offered him with greedy hands. ''It is a beautiful day. I cannot fault you for galvanizing.''

''Oh, Hinata! Is that you?''

She froze for a second time that day. Hinata allowed herself a single second to peer over the shoulder of her fiancé and over the relatively quiet market, filled her lungs with frosty wind and something like courage before quirking her head sideways to look at the bearer of the voice.

 _Naruto_.

There was no mistaking her hearing, and now her sight. Indeed, Naruto was standing there with Sakura, a face splitting grin as his singularity and eyes half closed, cheekbones dusted off by the sun-kissed gold of his eyelashes. Curiously, Sakura levelled Neji and Toneri with a look and only took her time assessing the strange, whitehaired man who stood beside the heiress of Konoha's most prestigious clan.

Hinata felt strangely cold this winter, like she being chilled from the inside out.

''Hello, Sakura-chan… _Naruto-kun_. I—I didn't see you there.''

''Then isn't it great that we called out to you?'' Naruto exclaimed brightly, pulling at the strings of her heart. Subsequently Naruto's face lost a touch of mirth as he began bobbing up and down the tips of his feet and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his orange sweater, ''I—well, um… Actually, there is something I… Well.'' Naruto stumbled around for words he usual had, but it didn't take him too long to find them. His eyes fell on her and Hinata had to catch her breath at the glint that fluttered inside them. ''Do you think we cou—''

''I see that we haven't met yet,'' Toneri-san suddenly interfered, ignoring the looks Sakura and Neji were shooting him. The taller man's lingering presence finally warranted Naruto's attention and although the orange cladded ninja's smile didn't falter, Naruto's eyes did flicker back between the three people in front of him, trying to draw out their connection.

''Ah…'' Naruto attested, ''That's right! The name's Uzumaki Naruto, and you are?''

''Otsutsuki Toneri of the Otsutsuki clan, heir to the family,'' out of nowhere Toneri grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her flush against his side. Hinata had to suppress both the urge to enlarge her eyes and pull her hand away. It wasn't lost to Naruto that Hinata was suddenly, in almost every sense of the word, _close_ to a, for him, unfamiliar _male_ specimen. ''I'm Hyūga Hinata's fiancé. Pleased to meet you, Uzumaki-san.''

What remained was a deafening silence. Naruto's eyes were glued to their interlaced fingers and for several seconds he refused to blink. The desire to pull her own hand free from its cage was strong. So much so that Hinata's fingers were twitching helplessly, but if she pulled away now, what would Toneri do? If the information found her father's ears, he wouldn't be pleased and neither would her clan. All Hinata could do was stare at the ground and push all of her weight into the soles of her feet and hope it would keep her grounded.

Sakura's mouth was slightly parted. It wasn't clear what was more embarrassing to Hinata at this point; being held by Toneri with Naruto looking at her or Sakura and Naruto hearing about an engagement that Hinata was, quite honestly, not sure how to feel about.

It did make her feel queasy. Oh so very queasy.

''I'm… sorry,'' Sakura began, ''Come again? Did you just say you're Hinata's… _fiancé_?'' Sakura looked at Hinata as if the answers were written all over her face. Whatever the pinkette had found had her gasping lowly with wide eyes and glancing back and forth Hinata and her teammate in surprise. ''Oh… Oh sheesh.''

Naruto tentatively poked at the silent heir, ''Hina—ta?''

His voice sounded so _off_ , but it didn't make any sense.

Hinata understood caring for her circumstances since they were friends, but Naruto almost sounded wounded. It made it that much harder to meet his eyes.

''Naruto,'' Neji began. ''I understand that this may come as a… shock to you—the both of you,'' he glanced from Naruto to Sakura and back again, ''We've been keeping it under wraps so there wouldn't be a major uproar among the citizens of Konoha. Few know of this engagement and—''

''Hinata?'' Neji was promptly ignored by Naruto, brushed off with a single utter of her name.

'' _And_ ,'' Neji preserved despite Naruto's interruption. ''We would appreciate if you could keep it between yourselves.''

''Oh, oh I see,'' Sakura said, scurrying for a way to keep the conversation from growing out of hand. ''Naturally! A huge rumor-mill about the Hyūga would be distasteful, right, Naruto?'' Sakura smacked his forearm without looking and hastily continued, ''Don't worry, don't worry we won't say a word! Mouth sealed, ha-ha. I'm sure everything is still in works—''

''It's _finalized_ ,'' Toneri stressed. ''We will be married in three weeks' time.'' For some reason Toneri glanced at Naruto instead of the questionnaire. Whatever reaction the tall heir was expecting, Hinata was sure he didn't account for blatant disregard, seeing as the orange ninja had his attention on the seemingly ostracized Hinata and there was no pulling him out of it and noticing anyone else.

Just like that, Naruto pressed for her attention another time, ' _'Hinata?_ ''

And Hinata couldn't take it anymore. Naruto was calling for her; Naruto needed her to respond, so shame be damned. She finally looked up to meet his eyes.

There he stood—a normally clever, energetic young man—crestfallen. Her hand grew limp in the tight prison of bone and skin. His sorrow unplugged the wiring inside her chest that held her together and hollowed her out.

It hurt.

It really _hurt_.

He used up several of heartbeats just to stare at her. His pupils trembled as they searched for answers, glared into her own like the truth had been branded there. ''Is it true?'' He strained to ask, deaf to Toneri and even Neji.

Yes, what Naruto wanted was to hear _her_ say it.

''I—It is.'' There it was again. That _pressure_ at the back of her throat cleaving at her insides, hanging at the ends of her words like it was trying to pull them back.

His gaze whirled to the ground. To the enraged beating of her heart, tearing against the bars of her chest, Hinata placed a half-closed fist against it, attempting to lull it back to rest. Force the mechanisms that controlled her brain to keep the sting in her eyes from wringing out tears and appear leader in her own body, contrary to a slave to her emotions.

''I—I see,'' he wheezed after a moment of awkward silence. ''C—congratulations.'' He raised his eyes and pushed his lips into a tight grin. There was no sign of the go-lucky and free spirited ninja they had all come to know and it was because of her. This secret that Hinata had kept within her must have caused her to lose his trust. Naruto probably felt betrayed. There was no better explanation.

For the first time since their meeting Hinata dared to move a foot forward, but what could she possibly do for Naruto with these chains around her feet and neck?

It didn't matter, anyway. Hinata never got the chance to find out what she could have achieved, because Naruto brushed passed her in a flurry. Haruno Sakura could only track him by sprinting.

''Excuse us,'' Sakura apologized over her shoulder, ''Eh, he's a rude one.'' Then she kicked up the speed, shouting at Naruto's back to wait up.

''Are they friends of yours, Hinata-sama?'' Toneri asked when Naruto and Sakura were gone so far, the only orange remaining was the glow of the sun casting its shades across the sky.

The wind jostled the Otsutsuki's hair, causing a strand here and there to play along the outline of his face. He was looking at her as intently as ever, but Hinata had long since resigned herself to stare at the space where she had last seen Naruto.

''They are,'' she finally admitted.

…

Naruto didn't show up at the oak tree again.

…

''Marriage is a sure way to maintain one's youth!'' Lee exclaimed.

''Marriage only causes trouble,'' Shikamaru rumbled around the unlit cigarette between his lips.

''Are you okay with this arrangement, Hinata? If you're not, just say the word, okay? Arranged marriages are _so_ outdated,'' Ino flared.

''Of course she wouldn't be okay with this, Ino-pig!'' Sakura hissed, ''She _loves_ Naruto.''

A week had gone by after the encounter she had with Toneri and Naruto-kun, and Hinata hadn't seen the latter in all of those days.

In Hinata's turmoil, Sakura had suggested telling Ino in the hopes of getting some advice, but Ino wasn't known to keep quiet about matters of (one-sided, on Hinata's part) love, let alone the—not unheard of and yet—rare phenomena that is an arranged marriage.

Which had led Hinata to her current predication.

Her friends where eager to aid her in her time of need and so a meeting, devised by Ino and aimed to fix the tense relationship Hinata had found herself in with Naruto, had taken place.

''I cannot comprehend the issue. If the arranged marriage is not to her liking, why not refuse?'' Sai deadpanned.

''It doesn't work that way,'' Kiba grumbled. ''Hyūga are old fashioned. They believe in blood purity and shit. The last thing they'd want is to tarnish their _genkai_ with some Uzumaki juice,'' he paused. ''We can kill the new guy, maybe? Leave no traces—''

''Kiba-kun!'' Hinata admonished, mortified.

'' _Or_ Naruto and Hinata can elope,'' Tenten continued for him as if there hadn't been any interruption. Hinata's heart quivered. _Marrying_ _Naruto-kun?_ Hinata must still be sleeping! ''Aren't there any _jutsu_ around for a binding-marriage; the kind that tethers the pair together in the literal sense of 'until death does us apart'? Just in case Hiashi flips a hundred-and-eighty and attempts to break an unholy matrimony.''

It was terrifying how eager her heart stumbled with this suggestion, her face heating up at the thought of becoming Naruto's wife. Still, it was ludicrous. Hinata couldn't suspend reality. The suggestion was unrealistic in every sense of the word. For one, Naruto didn't feel the same way for her as she did for him and what for pathetic person would she be to guilt-trip Naruto into a marriage just to save her own skin? Knowing Naruto, he would probably really marry her as long as it would help out his friend. That was the sort of person he was.

But there was no way Hinata would allow him to sacrifice himself like that.

To Hinata's shock, her friends actually seemed to consider Tenten's suggestion with hazy and thoughtful eyes.

''That wouldn't stop Hiashi from killing Naruto,'' Shikamaru contemplated seriously.

''Ah, yeah, yeah,'' Ino agreed, ''That's another way to end that kind of marriage now that I think about it.''

''Wouldn't put it aside the old man to make it look like an 'accident' either,'' Kiba added pensively, using his fingers to add figurative quote marks to indicate just what he thought of this so called accident.

Lee scrunched up his face. ''Hiashi-san sounds like a very cruel man. To go that far to keep his bloodline pure? I desire to insert the power of youth within him!''

Tenten encased her chin between an index finger and thumb, seemingly thinking the setback over. ''Maybe one that binds their lives together: if he dies, she dies, too?'' It sounded morbid. ''Too risky,'' she added right afterwards, shaking her head. ''Naruto's had too many near death experiences for that to work out in anyone's favor. Besides, knowing Naruto, he'd never allow it if it meant that Hinata would be in danger,'' and quietly Tenten added, ''Also Neji would make Naruto rue the day he decided to bind Hinata with a life threatening _jutsu_.''

Everyone shuddered in unison.

Hinata had paled at a certain thought, but now she had to voice it, ''You don't actually believe that my father would,'' she gulped, '' _Kill_ Naruto-kun?'' The words left a bitter aftertaste on Hinata's tongue.

The gathering leveled their attention on her. Tenten's, Kiba's and Lee's faces contorted, Sakura frowned, Ino mulled the question over, Sai stared back indifferently and only Shikamaru managed to get a few words out.

''Prevention is better than cure,'' he drawled out, unable to keep his nose from scrunching up at the possibility of an enraged clan leader. ''Or better said, finding a cure is too troublesome,'' he muttered. ''Look, I know it's been brought up that you don't like the arrangement and all that, but are you willing to do anything to keep it from happening? From what I've gathered, this marriage seems pretty important to your family, right?''

''What are you trying to say, Shikamaru,'' Sakura puffed. ''Hinata's feelings are important, too!''

''It's just,'' he sighed, pinching the tip of his cigarette. ''Shouldn't she decide what she thinks is _more_ important: dumb Naruto or eternal shame upon the Hyūga, and in the worst case a disowned heir?''

Hinata paled away. Shame? Disownment? Now that she thought about it, Hinata had never asked her father what the consequences were if she refused the marriage. Shikamaru's listed penalties seemed very possible.

''He does have a point, Sakura,'' Ino added tentatively. ''Hinata, what is it you really want?''

With all eyes on her, Hinata felt herself beginning to break out in sweat. She had already made a distinctively clear decision and was thankful for their input, but there was one glaring component that they had all conveniently forgotten about.

Naruto.

''Naruto-kun, he… He doesn't see me in the same way as I see him,'' she didn't notice the quick shift of expression on Sakura's face, having her eyes focused on her own hands in her lap. ''It seems silly to give up on what will aid my clan for something so… uncertain.''

Shikamaru huffed, ''Well, that settles—''

''And what if it isn't impossible?'' Sakura rushed in. Hinata's head snapped back to look at the pink haired woman in front of her, twitching her eyebrows. ''What if he does feel the same way? What if he does like you—better yet—what if it's love?''

''Naruto's too dumb to understand love,'' Kiba contested.

Sakura frowned, but didn't disagree. ''But what if it's possible? Being with that idiot is better than choosing what Hinata's selfish father wants. He doesn't even care about her choices! That guy… That guy doesn't understand how selfish it is to ask a daughter to forsake her own life in favor of his desires. So if it's possible that Naruto feels the same way, would you stand up against your father, Hinata? Would you blow off the wedding?''

Hinata hadn't given a romance with Naruto much thought. It was painful to hold onto a desire that was no longer possible. She didn't want to think about it. Most of all just hoping, dreaming and longing for something so unreachable and so acutely ruled out hurt too much.

But if, in some fluke of events— _if_ —Naruto _loved_ her… Would her choice change?

When all was said and done, Hinata had never been quite as cold-hearted and self-righteous as the world tended to paint the Hyūga. She knew her fate when her father gave her away, envisioned the brittle stage of her fantasies about her life-long crush break apart and after it happened, she promised herself, _no more tears_. She must be strong like Naruto, stouthearted like Naruto, but above all else fearless… like Naruto, even when it meant that she had to face a life she didn't want to live for the sake of her family, because it was only then that Hinata could truly be brave.

So, Hinata forced a small smile and told her friends what she thought was the right thing to do, ''No, I wouldn't,'' and the collective breath everyone seemed to be holding was let loose.

''Then that does it,'' Shikamaru said, weaving his fingers above his head and crackling his back. ''Decision has been made. I'm leaving.''

''But—but you love Naruto,'' Sakura attempted, slouching her shoulders. ''You guys could… could've…'' Sakura clenched her fists, shaking her head until a frown marred her delicate face, ''You'd rather want a loveless marriage?''

Hinata didn't want a loveless marriage—she wanted to be with Naruto—but there was still one glaring wish that towered above all else, that beckoned her forward and paved the way, ''I just want to help the people that I love.''

Sakura's mouth snapped shut.

There was no way Hinata could go against the wishes of her family, especially when the marriage was aimed to make them more prosperous. They needed her. How could she turn her back on them?

''Alright then,'' Kiba said.

Ino blinked a couple of times quickly. ''I guess… If that's your decision...'' Then she rose from her seat with Shikamaru and offered her good luck.

''I wish you luck on your journey of marriage, Hinata-san,'' Lee said.

Tenten got up and placed a hand on her shoulder. ''Hang in there, okay?''

Sai spared her a short glance while he stood up, following Ino and Shikamaru to the door. He leaned towards the woman's ear to whisper a question that was still relatively loud, ''If she really desires to act upon the wishes of her household, then why do her eyes look so sad?''

Hinata flinched back as if Sai had just slapped her across the face.

Whatever Ino's reply was, Hinata never got the chance to hear it.

…

…

…

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

_Note: this chapter contains smut. If you are uncomfortable reading it, please skip from: ''In the delirium…'' to: ''This was where…''_

 **...**

 **The good left undone**

…

…

 _Chapter 3_

''Hinata-sama?'' Neji called as he dragged his feet through the snow. Behind him, flakes that were steadily falling out of the sky began filling in the imprints left by his ankle length boots, attempting to erase all proof of his presence. The wind carried his voice down to the petite woman strewn capricious with crystallized flakes of snow. The black of her hair piqued stark against the white fluff lounged idly on her head and though they were relatively far apart and his voice was low and quiet, Neji knew she could hear him.

''What are you doing?'' Neji prodded tentatively like a hunter picking battles with a wild animal in its natural habitat, making sure to keep his unease at bay lest he startle her.

Her chin tipped down and some of the snow wobbled clumsily off her hair and over her coat. Neji had trouble deciphering where the young woman in front of him began and ended. The snow was thick, a coat in itself—although a very cold one—and it clung to her as if she was the sky it had only recently left behind, stocked with the desire to return home.

 _She must be freezing_ , Neji thought hapless and edged closer.

He wasn't sure how to break the spell his cousin had found herself woven in, whether he had to breech the subject of her impending marriage—if that was the cause of her rather disturbing behavior—or if Neji had to free her from a certain reckless, knuckleheaded ninja who had snuck his way through the barbed wire of her mind and settled a little deeper in her overly large heart. So, Neji reclined next to her, looking across the snow covered courtyard and past the oak tree settled smack dab in front of the Hyūga compound. He took his time staring aimlessly ahead, listening to the sounds of her breathing, because it gave him something to focus on. Calm and collected as she was, the Hyūga heiress made no movement to acknowledge him safe from her earlier nod.

After a while, the silence became too tense for him to bear and so Neji parted his lips, crowding his mouth with a veil of fog as he tried to reach her for a third time, ''Were you not going to the market?''

She left him unanswered for several seconds, not that it particularly mattered. He was in no hurry and in Hinata's case, Neji pried himself to be patient. After years of living underneath the same roof as the judgmental Hyūga elders and her haughty father, Hinata could do with some kindness and patience.

At last she spoke, if albeit a bit timidly. ''I was distracted.''

He furred his eyebrows in confusion, shooting a quick glance across the courtyard as if he could find what had occupied her attention there. When his search yielded no results, Neji settled his eyes on his future leader. Was it his place to ask her about her worries; a mere member of the branch house though as worried as he was? He looked heavenward, blinking away the snowflakes that valiantly tried to blur his vision. Even now, as Neji thought back at how far Hinata and he had come, there were times when he felt down weighted by their different standings. The heir may have assured him that their positions in their family mattered naught—he was her dear cousin, a precious person in her life; someone Hinata cherished deeply and considered an equal—yet the Caged Bird seal branded into his forehead and the separate houses they both lived in told tale of otherwise. So, what was really the right etiquette here—not as a branch member reaching out to the future clan head, but as a friend, a cousin and her important person?

''Would…'' His tongue flapped uselessly in his mouth and Neji _felt_ useless too. ''You—um—like for me to accompany you?''

She swiveled her head around to face him. The edges of her mouth twitched upwards and Neji released a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

''Thank you,'' she hummed softly.

Huh.

Well…

That was easier than expected.

Feeling braver, Neji dipped his toes in. ''Is there anything on your mind, Hinata-sama?'' Shortly after adding, ''Please allow me to be of assistance.''

Hinata regarded him quietly, haziness wandering through her gaze like she wasn't really looking at him either. Her mind was a whirlpool of uncertainties and worries and Hinata had to gather them together, fit them into something rational; something both of them could work with, because as she was now, she couldn't move forward. Hinata knew this—Hinata _understood_ this.

She wrung her hands together, fingers a mean red due to the cold, and Neji wondered absently if they still had any feeling to them.

''I worry Naruto-kun is angry at me.''

Ah, so it really was about _him_.

''And what makes you think that?''

Rubbing some warmth into her hands, Hinata moved restlessly on her feet. ''Because he seemed… disappointed— _in me_ ,'' she wedged her chapped lips between her teeth, shoulders hunching around herself, and like a frightened rabbit, trembled with nerves. Or perhaps the cold really got to her, champed down on her skin like the undiscriminating beast it was. ''I may have failed him as a friend, Neji-niisan. I kept such a large secret from him and what kind of friend would do something like that?''

To start off with, Neji sincerely doubted that Naruto was dealing with disappointment. Perhaps heartbreak was the proper term in this case?

Although, Hinata's cluelessness didn't strike Neji as surprising. An unrequited love for years and an unanswered love confession could do that to a person; make them insecure and doubtful. If Naruto wanted Hinata to understand his feelings, he would have to go on and tell her. Not that Neji was all too sure about confessing one's love to an affianced woman…

This was a troubling case indeed. Duty called for Neji to banish all and every thought of the orange ninja from his future clan leader's mind. Distractions would do her no good, and neither would it the clan.

And yet… Neji side-eyed her.

''Perhaps you should talk to him first.''

Hinata's face compressed. ''I doubt he wants to speak to me.''

''You won't know if you don't try, Hinata-sama.''

Hinata pursed her lips, casting her gaze to her feet. The air around her was stifling and tense, leaving no room for Neji to reach out and placate her.

Despite the clan's conviction that Hinata's life was theirs to do with as they pleased, reckoned her an asset to prosperity and wealth or a means to broaden their powers, Hinata still belonged to herself first and foremost. Her life was her own and _that_ , was what Neji truly believed.

She breathed out a sigh that dissolved as soon as it came and folded up her hands against her sternum in what looked like a prayer. She could have—or might have—had some sort of epiphany underneath the furious white of the sky as her hand reached out fetterless, apple red and audacious, and perhaps that was most frightening; the way it clawed from below her own terror and touched his arm briefly as if she was attempting to placate _Neji._

A ghost of a smile began playing on his lips.

''I think I can go to the market now,'' and after a beat, Hinata added, ''I'll be fine on my own.''

''Then I'll await your arrival.''

She removed her hand and walked to the gates of the Hyūga compound. Slow and with every step of her small feet, the snow on her clothes swirled, sinking to the ground to join its kin.

Watching her leave made him feel a bit forlorn.

Neji sighed, gazing across the courtyard again and for some reason, stared at the oak tree a little longer than necessary. Then he squared his shoulders and turned around, making his way back home. He supposed that even Hinata, as sweet and gentle as she was, would eventually spread her wings and fly away.

He aimed a rueful grin at the sky, ignoring the snowflakes that almost instantaneously melted once they breeched the warmth of his mouth.

Perhaps this was how a father felt as he sent off his daughter into the arms of someone else. Neji might have simultaneously laughed and cried too, were he a different sort of man.

…

''You should try cooking for him.''

''Huh?'' Hinata clumsily paused in handing over the money for the leek, right hand heavy with a bag of grocery and left hand struggling to keep her purse from falling out of her grip while at the same time holding out the coins.

The saleslady in front of Hinata had a smile plastered on her face, a teasing one might she say, and her mass of brown curls scattered by the wind coiled haphazardly around her head.

The woman eyed Hinata's grocery bag for a second before cupping her outstretched hand and picking out the money. ''Naruto, of course.''

Hinata paled.

The woman hadn't noticed the swift change in Hinata's demeanor and pressed forward, wrapping up the leak in a new plastic bag and stashing the coins. ''You know that boy doesn't eat anything except ramen!'' Well known around the village for his heroic acts and the talk of the town on a daily basis, it wasn't a mystery to anyone that Naruto had a soft spot for the gooey noodles and preferably those from Ichiraku's. This older woman was no exception and as she held the straps of the bag, pushing them into Hinata's awaiting arms, she conspiratorially attempted to rid the boy of his unhealthy habits. ''He's hardly done growing. You know ramen inhibits growth, don't you?''

''Ah. Yes,'' Hinata said, feeling unsettled at the sudden shift of conversation to the person reigning her thoughts at the moment, as if the saleslady could look into Hinata's mind.

''Fortunately, you're around him.'' A vendor at the left held up a sign that said: ' _carrots; get two pay for one!' a_ nd Hinata inwardly winced. She had just bought two for a heftier price. There went half of her budget… ''He has become a different man ever since you, Hinata-san.''

Hinata froze. _She_ had influenced _him_? That was… surely the woman had to be mistaken or confused? No matter how one would look at them, Naruto was the one who had changed her and was still changing her. He was her strength, and if they were going to be politically correct about Naruto's food preferences, Hinata and Naruto had never eaten anything other than ramen together.

Her face must have shown her confusion, because the woman clacked her tongue in disapproval several of times. There weren't any customers waiting in line and the saleslady took advantage of the rare moment of quiet by enlightening Hinata, ''Sure enough Naruto has grown from a little rascal into a fine young man. I suppose that little buzz cut adds some flare to that new image,'' the woman snorted loudly, jokingly. ''But whenever you lot pass by, I can tell, around you Naruto has become a lot gentler. It's in the air he radiates; makes everyone drop their work and just stare. Mhm,'' she leaned her elbows on the surface of the table and tipped over, voice dropping an octave, ''You could say he's at peace.''

A clump caught in her throat and after two times trying to swallow it down, Hinata resigned to thinking that it might be there to stick.

''I… wasn't aware that we were drawing eyes.'' Hinata cradled the newly retrieved bag.

''How could we not notice? Especially Naruto's change, I really enjoy that look on his face! It's a nice one. Anyhow! Make sure you cook for him, alright? I'm sure he'll love it.''

''I will.'' She only realized how much she wanted to live up to that promise when she announced it, but it was there, thick, heady and waiting. ''I'll definitely make something for him.''

Hinata already aimed to apologize after arriving at Naruto's apartment, so she might as well offer to cook for him as an extra way to appeal to his forgiving side.

''Good, then please come again.''

Hinata curled her lips up, ''Yes, please take care of me again.'' With a short bid of farewell, Hinata pocketed her purse, hiked up her shopping bags and took off on the road she knew by heart.

It was a short journey to his apartment. The market wasn't far removed from his home and Hinata was quick on her feet in getting there. The stairs creaked under her weight when she mounted them and Hinata sought for the railing in case the neglected treads gave up on her. She looked for his room number, forcing her feet to keep moving even as the nerves tested her patience. There was nothing to worry about. After all, Naruto wouldn't dismiss her. Sure, buttering him up with a nice meal couldn't hurt, but Naruto was still the kind of guy who would settle for a hasty apology as long as it was sincere.

Hinata rapped her knuckles on his door once she found it and waited on the edges of her tiptoes for the resounding sound of shuffling feet. The ting of moving locks whizzed past the wood that separated her from the heat of his home and shortly thereafter the door opened, creaking as the joints curved inwards to allow a tired looking Naruto a way out. His hair was mushed, sticking left and right as if it had been furiously tugged by hands. Below his eyes, Hinata spotted dark shadows softly fading into his skin when they neared his cheekbones. Telltale signs of sleep deprivation. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but his pants were ruffled and faded, unwashed if the dark stains on his knees and the moist spots on his thighs had any say in this. Hinata was catapulted into silence looking at the state of the usual jovial man and felt as if she was about to cave in with anguish. Were it not for the errands in her grip that needed to be delivered soundly, Hinata would have let them plummet to the ground, wrapped her trembling hands around his face and held him.

Instead of that, she settled for a wide eyed, open mouthed look and a body that wouldn't stop shaking.

It took him a second to place her, but when he did, Hinata really did drop the shopping bags in favor of reaching out for a tumbling Naruto throwing out his hands and falling backwards. He made a sound, a scratchy sort of yelp as he lost his footing, shooting his eyes all across her face in a panicky haze like the one falling was her in lieu of him. She scarcely managed to grab his right wrist on instinct and fell with him, peeping as his unaccounted for weight dragged her down, and scuffing her knees on his carpet when she finally landed.

''Wha—'' Naruto short-circuited. One of his hands had bundled the texture of her shirt in a half-closed fist, fingers splayed around her hip as he supported her and kept her from falling head first against his floor. Hinata almost laughed at that, watching the defined muscles of his forearm and the thick vein that ran underneath his skin the moment he flexed his wrist in order to hold her firmer. To think that this unfortunate situation forced Naruto into protecting her when the roles were supposed to be reversed, as was her intention when she reached out. Hinata almost giggled at the irony, but she mostly contemplated pulling out her hair in frustration for needing protection in the first place.

A concerned frown jostled her face. ''Are you okay, Naruto-kun?''

Hinata's vice-like grip on his wrist finally snapped him out of his daze. He whipped back the arm holding her, eyes so wide they could have fallen out of their sockets, and lips struggling to form the words he wanted to say. His stare flickered to her hand on his wrist and back up her face, blinking away what was left of his confusion.

''Hinata?'' He asked as if he was seeing a ghost.

She nodded once, afraid to let him go. Worried about what would happen if he lost touch of what held him with her. ''It's me.''

''Ah,'' he muttered, dragging his sight over the floor. ''Thought it was a dream again.'' He reached for her hand and carefully began plucking away the fingers clamping down on his wrist, not meeting her eyes even once. ''But you feel real.''

''Dream?'' She questioned, furring her eyebrows in confusion as she allowed him to remove her hand. Losing his warmth left her slightly disappointment, but she managed to mask it accordingly.

''Never mind that,'' he sighed, pushing himself up with his knees. He paused for a moment and stared down at the crown of her head, debating silently. Then he extended one of his hands to help her up.

She took the proffered hand and Naruto let go the moment she found her bearings.

''So,'' he began, rubbing the back of his neck and staring down at his feet. ''What's up?''

''Oh!'' Hinata turned around swiftly, remembering the fallen bags and grabbing them. She wondered if the eggs had broken after the fall they took, but pushed that thought aside when her chafed knees slid against the fabric of her skirt and made her wince. ''A—actually, I wanted to talk to you.'' And now knowing that his physical and mental state were in shambles, Hinata had no intention of leaving his side even if she was ordered, because the concern seizing her heart was too profound.

A sullen, downcast look met her when she turned around. The atmosphere around him was dark, unwelcoming; without words Hinata could sense that her presence wasn't needed and maybe even disliked.

Was she… _disliked_ … by _Naruto_?

Was it after all her secret that tore into him like this? It couldn't possibly be the case, and even _if_ it was the reason behind his despair, how could the aftermath have left him but a shell of himself?

And yet, why else would Naruto be so cold to her? There was nothing else she had done to deserve it.

Her heart painfully contracted, slicing into her lungs and making it harder to breathe. Her respiration had become a stutter, puffing irregular clouds into the air.

Did this mean she had to let him go and was this the end of their friendship? First she was forced to marry another man, forced to bear his children, forced to disregard her own deep rooted desires and now forced to let Naruto go. Hinata was tired of being put in positions that left her without any other choice. At least, that was how it felt like; like all other available roads were under construction. Either she burdened herself or she burdened the people she loved. There was no right choice here.

''Please, let me in?''

The aura around him didn't deter her and she hardly noticed the confusion that lathered up his face. He hesitated, eyebrows pulled together with worry and sloping his eyes. ''Um… I don't—are you okay with that?''

There was no way she was walking away, that was for sure. Naruto was just going to have to _un_ -hate her.

Right.

She wasn't letting go.

''Please.''

He blinked, gave her a short nod, motioned her in first and closed the door behind her. Hinata slipped off her shoes, before following him into his living room where Naruto took a seat on his couch. His table was littered with store bought ramen and chopsticks laid astride his floor. Hinata had caught a glimpse of Naruto's kitchen and it seemed like his trash bin hadn't been emptied for days. He might have kept himself locked in this house for longer than a day or two, going from the state of things.

She swallowed and placed the bags next to the coffee table. After that, Hinata didn't know what to do with her hands, having them so empty and unneeded, so she wrapped them around herself.

After taking a few breaths to steady her crazed heartbeat, Hinata began to speak. ''I came here to apologize.''

His teeth clenched together, gaze aimed at the carpet and hands clasped. ''What are you apologizing for?''

The air suddenly felt heavy, laced with uncharted emotions. A chill ran up her spine.

''Not telling you about… the engagement,'' she clarified.

He closed his eyes and Hinata thought for a second that he looked defeated. Older than nineteen and more exhausted than a few minutes ago when he had opened the door to greet his guest.

''Oh,'' he breathed. ''That's your right, I guess. You—you didn't _have_ to tell me anything—''

''That's not true!'' She cut in, surprising Naruto and even herself with her loud outburst. He whipped his head up. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down along the rippling of his esophagus and Hinata found herself more than necessary entranced with the line of his neck and the way it lay bare for a taste. ''You're my friend,'' she whispered. ''Telling you this life changing event is only natural.''

Naruto cracked a lopsided smile, tired eyes somewhat shuttered. ''Nah, even as a friend you've got the right to keep your own secrets. I'm not… entitled to them, or anything. 'Sides, Neji said it had to be kept a secret for your family, right? So, no hard feelings.''

The tension in her body was lightly alleviated. But then, if he wasn't angry about that, why had she not seen him for so long and why couldn't he look her in the eye?

''Then… is there something else on your mind?''

He stiffened and Hinata's throat clammed up, assuming the worst.

''What makes you think there is?''

Without thinking, Hinata took a seat next to him, squeezing her knees below her hands and pressing into the slight ache there. It kept her focused on the pain rather than the looming presence next to her. ''I can see it. It's in your eyes.''

''My eyes, huh?'' She could hear the breathy laughter in his voice. ''That's just like you,'' he continued. ''Gets me every time.''

Naruto reclined back, head lulling down to the headrest with his neck curved up. He really did look exhausted, though the tension was gone from his body and had materialized in the picturesque image of serenity. Hinata might have thought he fell asleep if the silence dragged on for a little longer.

''Hey,'' Naruto whispered into the quiet. ''Tell me, do you love him?''

''Him?'' Her stomach dropped.

''Toneri.''

How could she, when the one she loved was sitting right next to her? The tears sprung into her eyes and she bit the inside of her lip to keep them from spilling.

''I'm just trying to do what is best for my family,'' she told him honestly.

A beat of silence dropped like a leaking faucet.

''What?''

Very slowly, Naruto turned his head to face her.

'' _What_?'' He repeated with a rasp, this time louder, eyes becoming wild.

''My father—or rather my family arranged our marriage for the sake of our clan's prosperity. Toneri-san would help us create a _Kekkai_ _Genkai_ that would be even better than the _Byakugan._ An upgrade, so to speak. At least, that's what father says. Our children would be the ones to carry it, I suppose, and as the heir to our clan I was told to marry Toneri-san, but I—I don't actually love him.''

He unblinkingly stared at her, tracing her face in search for any lies and when he didn't find them, Naruto threw himself off the couch, making her jump an inch off her seat in surprise.

''You're kidding me,'' he said, pivoting so he could aim his stare at the Hyūga heir. ''You're _not_ kidding me.''

She nodded hesitantly.

''Shit, but that—that's totally unfair! They can't just make you marry against your will. That's not how this works. What's this, the eighteen hundred?''

''Arranged marriages happen a lot in this century. It's not unheard of in Konoha either,'' she told him.

'' _Shit_!'' He hissed, frustration making him tug at his hair. ''That's not right, Hinata. What about you? What about your feelings?''

''I just want to be of use to my family.''

''Is that what you _really_ feel?''

''It is.''

''Really?'' He pressed and moved in, face dangerously close to her own as his hands assisted his towering posture by placing his palms on the empty spaces next to her thighs. Her heartbeat faltered. ''Because that just sounds like what you want to do, not what you feel.''

Unable to hide it, Hinata's face compressed.

Why did she have to say it?

Wasn't this hard enough?

''Please, Naruto-kun,'' she forced from between her lips. ''Drop it.''

He fell down on his knees, nails curling into the cushions of his aged furniture. ''And what if I can't,'' he inquired, making sure to stare into her eyes. ''What if I physically _can't_ ,'' he growled, scratching at the material under the tips of his fingers, hurriedly sweeping along the pleats and edges and wringing out pieces of lint, keeping himself busy. Yet he twitched, starting from his spine like a prowling fox curving and straightening in quick succession and then to his fingers with a twinge of impatient, as if the movement of his hands alone weren't enough to calm him down.

Undeterred by his behavior, Hinata placed a steady hand on his head. The movement of his body stilled almost instantaneously. Then his eyes fell shut.

She thought she might have calmed him down and might have calmed herself in return, eased the painful pulls on her heart strings and quieted her stomach that wouldn't stop churning, because the truth was, Hinata was scared. _Really_ scared, and if Naruto broke down when she was at her most fragile, Hinata wasn't sure she wouldn't follow him right after.

His lips shook when he managed to keep himself in check and relayed his feelings into words.

''What about me?''

''You…''

''Aren't you in love with me?''

She pulled her hand back as if his crown was on fire, but Naruto was faster and snatched her hand midway from the air and brought it to his mouth, pressing against the spiral lines there. ''Because I love you.'' He dampened the skin with his words, brought heat into her face that started from her nailbeds to the outset roots of her hair.

Any and all protest died on the tip of her tongue when she got a good look of his face, and all be damned if Hinata couldn't read his eyes when push came to shove. His odd behavior and the sudden silent treatment all made sense in retrospect. Naruto wasn't angry at her; he was angry at _himself_ and whenever he saw her, Naruto was reminded of the life she was going to live without him.

She cracked an out of sorts smile, even though the last thing Hinata felt like doing was laughing.

This was such an unfortunate situation.

''Hinata,'' Naruto's unoccupied hand reached for her left cheek. ''Please don't cry.''

She hadn't even realized she was crying, so lost in the confusing feelings that filled up her chest. Hinata was torn between sadness and happiness, a sense of duty and unbridled love, but what stuck out most evident was the ever present gripe of hope unacquainted with letting go. When faced with the prospect of being with Naruto, Hinata had convinced herself that their personal feelings wouldn't matter in the ultimate decision that could transform her clan, but talking about it, thinking about it and hypothesizing were so very different than the actual situation. During the conversation with her friends, Hinata might have unconsciously believed she would never be with Naruto and based all of her decision making on a flawed perception.

''I've been an idiot for so long and when I finally managed to get my act together, I find out that I might lose you,'' he tightened his grip. ''I don't think I can keep quiet and lose the person who means most to me, so don't push me away. Hinata, please, stay by my side.''

Why did he make her feel as though if they fought together, they could win?

''Naruto-kun…''

''Yeah,'' he replied, hearing the unspoken question entwined with his name. ''It's gonna be okay.''

What was most surprising was her sorrow. It struck her unexpectedly, thick as it laid in her mouth and all-consuming. The sob ripped from the craters of her chest, burned hot along her sternum, aching, flittering in the hollow of her throat like it was trying to choke her out. Her hands had long since gone limp and Naruto's reassuring words did nothing to help keep her together. If anything, they made the wailing worse, had her shaking, sprouting from below an unscrewed cap and desperately trying to find a place outside her skin that could salvage the remains.

''Ssh,'' he muttered, crawling up the couch with his knees at either side of her and leaning over to brush his lips against her tearstained cheeks. He kissed underneath her eyes, saddled her itchy chin with the tip of his tongue, pressed the volume of his mouth to her jaw in a kiss so wet, her face was left in an even damper state than before, ''Right here. I'm right here.'' Her chest was blooming and unfurling from its cocoon as Naruto made sweet work of her tears, cradled her face between his hands and angled her head so no spot was left unattended.

In the delirium of her sorrow, sight contorted by the onslaught of tears, Hinata could feel an itch under her spine crawling up and spreading its fingers all over her chest where it was covered with an overwhelming heat. Made putty in his embrace, Naruto easily folded her against him, arms wrapping around her sides. His own aching core pressed almost feverishly against her abdomen, seeking the skin that had him harden underneath his trousers, begging to be as close as humanely possible—and Hinata felt it, blushing cherry red to the tops of ears, affect her too.

It was so natural to rake her fingernails over his thighs, across his broad back and up his shoulder blades. The muscles underneath her hands twitched then, and Hinata heard a groan skitter against her neck where Naruto was busy puckering the flushed skin with loud, fleshy pecks. _What a sound_ … Hinata instinctively purred, slit rubbing against the cushions of the couch to relief some of the pressure building up in her center, twisting circles into his furniture until she was mewling. Hinata wanted to be touched _right there,_ so desperately much.

''Hinata, _crap_ ,'' he wrapped his moist lips around the tip of her earlobe and suckled. Snatching an undignified noise from the base of her throat, Naruto released the offending flesh with a _plop!_ ''Want you,'' he managed to crack out, voice hoarse with arousal, cheek pressed against her own as his voice tickled the shell of her ear. ''So much. Can I, please?''

Rationality had long since flown out of the window.

All that was left was him and her, and Hinata was quite alright with that.

''I want you, too.''

Naruto wasted no time pushing himself upright and grabbing her hand, hurriedly pulling her to her feet and into his room.

He slowed down once he entered until they stood next to his unmade bed. There he breached the space between their faces, tongue poking out to push her lips apart. Hinata didn't need a better hint, partly swayed by her own desire to rove his mouth sour and red with her teeth and engrave his taste into her mind. Hinata paused at that, had she always been so feline?

She allowed him entrance, toes curling in her shoes and ears tinging red. The place smelled like him, musky and something like pine—earthy, the scent of forests and barren lands, and a little bit of freedom. The inside of his mouth tasted like that too, hot and unconstrained as it was, blazing her chest with a furry of flames so fervent, she had to grip his shoulders in order to stop herself from falling unceremoniously and embarrassingly on the floor, flat on her butt, unable to cope with the intensity. His scent made her core twitch, her legs curl up in themselves and her panties a little slicker than before. Hinata felt too hot and too sticky. The sensations were too much and not enough all at the same time.

Famished, Naruto swirled his tongue around her own, mouths smacking wetly together. He ensnared her bottom lip between his teeth, held her close as if he thought she'd stagger back once he tugged the supple flesh into his mouth for a quick lap. Easing to the side of her mouth, Naruto sipped the nectar venturing to slip from the corner of her lips, teeth scraping the outline as he went, groaning, enjoying himself on the flavor slinked and peppered around his senses. His hands cradled her hips, thumbs pressed into whatever slice of skin peeked out, then slipped them leisurely up her sweater, pulling the garment up and away with an arch and flurry of his arms.

Her voice tripped, a breathless sort of ' _ah—ah'_ stuttered out as the small breeze in his room caught her overheated skin. Momentarily dazed, Naruto took this opportunity to cup her ample breasts in his sturdy hands, bodies flushed together so Hinata could feel the thickness of his hard length poking her belly. He had to be aching to rotate his hips on the flat expansive of her body, alleviate his straining, jittery erection and biting very briefly on the juncture between her shoulder blades and neck, careful not to leave a mark. Eager to untangle the knot formed taut inside himself.

Naruto gave her mounds a short squeeze. ''Hinata, you feel nice,'' he murmured to her skin, dropping a kiss there.

She shuddered along the descend of his hands curved up to hold her rump, and then skimming forwards across the waistband of her skirt and the triangle between her legs. He shoved the skirt to her feet so Hinata was left standing in only her underwear, leaving her lightly embarrassed under the scrutiny of Naruto's wandering eyes. But even as she balked, unfit for any sort of eye contact in her half-dressed state, Hinata still reached for him and tugged, a little lost, on the band of his sweatpants to pull him out of his observation.

''Y—you too, Naruto-kun,'' she yanked for a second time, pointing out his only remaining attire. ''Pants. Or else it isn't fair.''

Naruto's cheeks burned. Being caught staring made him bashful, and he hastily undid the laces of the garment, pushing it down to pool at his feet along with his boxers, thickness springing free. The tip of his erection was nursed pink and oozed clear drops of pre-cum while the shaft was hard, slapping against his abdomen once released and standing up proudly.

''Your turn,'' he grinned, though he didn't give her the chance to shuck off her underwear, because his fingers had already fluttered to her back, making quick work of her bra. Naruto had no qualms touching her, seemed even eager to, but however excited his fingers danced across her spine or his imminent desire pressed up against her shape, his eyes were tinted dark. The desire lurking in the sinewy details of Naruto's soul were desperate in size and frightening in weight—wanting to be connected; prove that what they had was real, inevitable and permanent.

He slammed his mouth against hers, ravished the inner spaces with his tongue and dragged out wet sounds from their joined bodies to fill the air. Hinata's breath quickened trying to keep up with him, _wanting_ to keep up with him, somehow able to sense what he was attempting to accomplish and wanting to accomplish it with him.

''Hmm,'' his chest chafed against her nipples and she squeaked, nether lips twitching. ' _'Hinata_ ,'' he groaned, fingers hitching on her panties. ''You're soft,'' he mushed their chests together, ''Smell nice, too,'' and flicked her underwear under the swerve of her rump. Hinata shimmied the strip of clothe the rest of the way down.

''Here,'' Naruto hiked her up with his arms underneath her buttocks, legs and hands coming up to wrap around him as support. She involuntary sighed, enjoying the warmth of his body as it seeped into her bones, the graze of his chest against her pouted nubs and how solid his arms felt as they held her up. ''I'll take you to bed.''

Her ragged reply was a murmured okay, hands content with playing with the delicate hairs on the nape of his neck as he moved them to his sleeping spot. There he laid her down and loomed over her, trailing kisses down her jaw as he moved to box her in. His hair tickled her chest and his hands were warm and damp, slipping down her belly and thigh on a nonexistent track, looking for the lush sheath of heat dripping persistently on his sheets. The closer he inched, the more anxious Hinata felt. Her nerve endings were on fire recounting the skin he had touched. Hinata was acutely aware of the adapted position Naruto had taken between her legs and couldn't stop her toes from twisting in his bedsheet at the prospect of what was to come.

He feathered his fingers up her inner thigh.

''F—feels good,'' she whimpered, scantily stuttering off the bed.

''Yeah?'' Grabbing a hold of her knees, Naruto pulled her towards his hips, afterwards pressing them flat on his mattress so her dewy folds where spread wide open to his liking. A gasp startled out of her realizing the way she must look to him, naked like on the day she was born and laid bare in ways she had never been before. Hinata's embarrassing state had her covering her eyes with her knuckles, face pepper red and stomach twisting in knots. A slip of his tongue teased his lips, wetting it. ''S'okay, about to make you feel even better.'' He propped himself on his knees, one hand still holding her down while the other fisted his flushed shaft, angling the moist head between the silken valley of her thighs. ''Stick with me, yeah?'' He ended hoarsely, voice straining as her slit sucked his tip in.

Hinata's exhale was a short and clipped one, rattled by the spasm that overtook her body once Naruto slid inside her. The hand that was previously trying to hide her embarrassment had come up to dig in his shoulder, hips a little in the air to accommodate the stretching of her entrance and the sudden discomfort flitting around. Amongst the discomfort, arousal was still reeling its head and the more Naruto moved, shifting against the little bundle of nerves above her center and eliciting shuddering yelps, the more that pleasant feeling disbursed and soaked her up.

'' _Oh_ ,'' she preened, once he thrusted deeper, sinking down to his sac and leaning over so he could press a kiss against her lips. He breathed shallowly, chilling her moist lips and altering his thrusts, fast and hard enough to scatter wet noises of skin against skin. Strings of 'Naruto-kun's' filled the room and became incoherent draws of words whenever he plunged in deep enough to get her to scratch his back and push off the bed, or when he pulled out to the very edge of his glassy, twitching crown just to thrust back in.

''Shit, shit, _shit_ ,'' he groaned feverishly along his erratic gyrating hips. ' _'Hinata,''_ he stretched her name, ''—so good.''

He slammed their cores together, kept still for a second so she could feel every inch of him inside of her, relay his width and length by letter if ever asked, and like he was trying to mold her for his use only. Then he tipped out, just to thrust in again.

''Ah—Naruto-kun,'' he squeezed her knee, angled his hips so his abdomen was in direct contact with her little bud and rolled against it. Hinata saw white, hips lurching off his bed and jerking against his propelling hips. Her orgasm took her completely by surprise, eyes wide and mouth open in ecstasy. A moan tore out of her throat at the mercy of his hands, hardly noticing his thrusts taking up pace, bed creaking on its posts and threatening to collapse. He held her down when she clenched around him involuntarily, drunk on the feeling that was shifting through her bones and exploding in little sparks whenever Naruto grazed the swollen nub above his length. She wasn't quite conscious of the way she stroked him, pulled him in or even held him close. It was natural. A subconscious reaction, one could say.

Shortly after, Naruto spilled inside of her, groaning her name and Hinata was feeling inexplicably full.

Careful not to squash her with his body, Naruto gently pulled out, no moment sooner pulling her to his chest, nose against the slope of her collarbone. Hinata's hands automatically drew over his sides, draping the both of them with familiarity and comfort.

This was where she wanted to be, Hinata thought with hooded eyes and fingers roaming over his taut back muscles. Here, in the arms of the man she loved, any and all problems faded away.

She looked down and caught his eyes.

''What?'' She asked lazily, curiosity marring her voice.

''Nothing much,'' Naruto suddenly propped himself on his elbow and stared down on her face, cheek cradled by his hand. ''Just really love you. Stay the night?''

The way he easily said those words, like talking about the weather or relaying a generally accepted fact, did nothing to prevent her from sputtering, eyes like saucers, and an embarrassing blush creeping up her neck. After a bit of freaking out and watching the steady, though increasingly confused look on his face, Hinata sighed. He wasn't at all embarrassed. To Naruto, confessing his love to someone was only natural. Required, even. He was well aware of the human race's fragility, having faced one too many losses for a nineteen-year-old, and he aimed not to waste even a second of his life by keeping his true feelings hidden. So why should she lose her composure? The smile followed swiftly. ''If you'll have me, and—I love you, too.''

In came his grin plopping up his cheeks, squeezing his eyes shut in that habitual trait of his.

Since she was staying the night, Hinata could try her hand in cooking for him. She was sure she had some ingredients left to spare in those shopping bags…

''Then how about we commemorate your stay by doing it the whole night?''

''Eh?''

Hinata was not prepared for his Cheshire-like smirk.

…

When Hinata opened her eyes it was to the glare of sunlight sneaking through Naruto's blinds and bundled up in a blanket and his powerful arms. Morning had come and so did the day's adversities. Although a persistent presence behind her mind's eye, Hinata no longer felt as though she was about to succumb, burrowed underneath the baggage that came with her title. Renewed with hope in both body and soul, she honestly believed that all would turn out well for her family, Naruto and herself as long as she fought. It wasn't as if she had stopped fighting either. After all, denying her own feelings in order to protect her family was a fight in itself, it was just Hinata's battleground that had currently expanded.

Hinata stretched her body as much as possible without jarring the man behind her awake. Then she froze, realizing something of crucial importance.

That's right, Naruto was still asleep.

Hinata hadn't gotten the chance to sneak a peek of his sleeping face last night—a presumably ridiculously _adorable,_ drooling face—but now… She giddily began turning around, careful not to rustle the sheets lest she wake him.

But she was out of luck.

Staring right back were a pair of gleaming, crystal blue eyes and a sleepy smile. Definitely awake and maybe had been for a while.

She pulled the thick blanket that was lying over them closer to her lips, hoping it could hide the hint of red magnificently dashing over her cheekbones.

''You're staring,'' Hinata whispered, somewhat defensively. Ignoring the fact that he was doing exactly what she wanted to do just a few seconds ago.

Okay, _maybe_ she felt a tad bit jealous that he came first.

Perched up with a hand under his head, Naruto asked her, ''Is it creepy?''

Not really. ''A little,'' she teased.

''Oh, man, but… Hinata's staring, too,'' he pouted.

''Do _you_ think it's creepy?''

He looked heavenwards, nose scrunched up in thought before dropping his gaze. ''Nope. Maybe 'cause you're cute?''

There was no way Hinata could hide the redness of her face now. It was spiraling out of control so badly, were smoke to come shooting out of her ears it would be the accounted for outcome. Still, she tried concealing her embarrassment by tugging the blanket over her head and bundling herself up like a little cocoon, squeaking stupidly when Naruto pulled the offending comfort off her flushed exterior which Hinata had barely managed to convert in a refuge.

''Naruto-kun!'' Hinata screeched.

''Woah,'' the orange ninja marveled at Hinata's heated face like a little boy unpacking his Christmas' presents a day before it was due. ''You're totally red… That reminds me, in our academy days you'd get beet red like this, too. Huh? Why was that?''

''I—I—that was…''

No way. Naruto was intently staring at her with wide, puppy dog eyes, hands creeping towards her cheeks like he could hold her blush inside the palms of his hands and unravel its years' old mystery if he tried hard enough. It wasn't doing anything on making her feel less awkward.

Panicky, Hinata thrusted out her hands and yelped out a ' _no'_ at the sudden curiosity for her roseate condition, colliding them with his face. Naruto was pushed back, hands searching for something to grab on and accidentally brushing across her sides, extracting another sound out of Hinata's mouth that was way more embarrassing than her blush, something drifting between a squeak and dangerously close to a snort.

The pair froze. Naruto was in front of her, sitting back, blanket draped over his lap. And Hinata, still lying down on her side, had the realization slowly dawn in on her that she might have just made the greatest mistake in her life.

Why yes… Creeping up on the face of Konoha's number one troublemaker was a foreboding, lecherous grin. For most it would spell mayhem and that's exactly what it did for Hinata. Well, besides the butterflies fluttering inside her tummy at the sight of Naruto's handsome, disheveled appearance.

'' _Hi—na—ta_.''

Oh, no…

''Are you, maybe, ticklish?''

''N—no, you must be mistaken… That was—''

It was too late.

Naruto had launched his attack.

Greedy hands dawdled across her sides before Hinata could very well understand that all her escape routes had been cut off. Naruto was two times bigger than her, and though she had sparred and defeated men the size of mountains before, the moment Naruto's hands had started their assault on her sides, Hinata could see the future of her conquest become bleak.

''No!'' She snorted, doing a poor job at expressing discomfort when all she could do was laugh.

His hands skimmed over her skin, nails softly dragging up her ribcage and suddenly returning to squeeze her sides. Hinata was writhing on his bed, squealing and laughing her voice hoarse. Somewhere along the way she had given up trying to push Naruto's hands away, realizing he was too strong and way too fixated on dragging her into a world full of laughter, and found herself using her strong legs to switch them over, wrapping them around his waist and twisting her body. Judging from the look on Naruto's face as he toppled over, it was an unexpected turn of events.

Lost in amazement by being overtaken by her petite shape, Naruto didn't move and simply gaped at her face. Hinata took this chance to grab his hands and pinned them next to his head, all the while breathing hard.

He blinked, surprise drifting off, and finally directed a goofy grin her way.

''Nice sight,'' he said, winking.

At this point Hinata had lost the ability to get any redder. Her coloring might have also been enhanced by her own steadily surfacing excitement. Their alignment and naked bodies didn't help at all—or _did_ , depending.

''Naruto-kun!''

He puckered his lips, not at all apologetic. ''Kiss?''

Hinata sighed good naturedly and leaned down, pecking his lips, long hair falling down like a curtain to conceal their faces.

When they parted, his eyes were droopy and slightly clouded.

''Man, I feel really happy right now,'' Naruto sat up, making sure she was balanced on his lap and not at the brick of tipping over. He buried his face in her chest and she allowed him, understanding the feeling of wanting to be closer, because that was all _she_ wanted. Everything that lay beyond this room was terrifying and Hinata was sure to steel her nerves an array of times until she was ready to enter her home, but she _would_. There was no doubt in her mind that she would. Hinata was going to take the forefront and protect everyone dear to her. Holding his head in her hands and her chin on the crown of his head, Hinata hoped he could feel her sincerity. ''I don't want you to leave.''

Underlying in his words, though, Hinata could hear, ' _but I know you have too'._

''I won't marry him,'' she pledged.

He squeezed her. It wasn't a spontaneous confession, that, they both understood. After being together in this way neither wanted to be with anyone else. For Hinata it would mean standing up against her family and for Naruto it would be to support her in whatever way he could. And yet, judging from the way he held her almost possessively, it wouldn't seem that he would comply if it meant losing her.

''We could ask Kakashi-sensei, you know. Maybe,'' his words were muffled. ''He could help? A Hokage has a lot of authority.''

''They don't involve themselves in clan matters.''

Especially those revolving around marriage. That was a personal matter. In those cases, a Hokage's hands were tied.

He stayed quiet. Hinata was comforted by the low hum of his breathing and the downy hairs between her fingers.

Finally, he said, ''Then I'll go with you.''

Hinata shook her head. She wasn't going to burden Naruto anymore. If her father found out part of the reason why she couldn't marry Toneri, Naruto wouldn't be treated lightly. The thought alone made her tremble. Keeping Naruto as a secret wouldn't completely be a lie when the truth was that Hinata wanted to be free in making decisions that would ultimately affect her most. Naruto happened to be a part of that decision.

''He would be unforgiving if you were there,'' she said.

She felt his eyebrows pull together, but he must have realized how disadvantageous his attendance would be for the both of them rather than beneficial, and so dropped his shoulders in defeat.

''Can I at least see you afterwards? Tomorrow at ten, when the lights are out. Same place?''

''I'll be there,'' she promised.

Even if she had to force herself through the literal embodiment of wrath, oddly built like her father, Hinata was going to see Naruto at their oak tree.

She was going to tell him the good news.

He was going to laugh.

And they were going to be _happy_.

…

 **TBC**

 **A/N: If only things could be that easy…**


	4. Chapter 4

**...**

 **The good left undone**

…

…

 _Chapter 4_

A Hyūga family member collected her at the front of the mansion the moment Hinata attempted to pass through. The girl was waiting, Hinata decoded with a start, watching the way the short haired member bowed her head without so much as glancing towards the slightly taller heiress. The air chilled to an unbearable degree as Hinata stared at a crown of brown hair with bated breath. Normally, when winter came around, no one stood in front of the outside doors. Favoring the heat of the mansion instead. It was too cold for open sandals and light weighted kimonos too, but the chilly air didn't seem to deter the Hyūga member, steady as her back and curled neck was and unshaken by the wind that picked up and doused Hinata with a new set of goosebumps. For this girl to have been waiting for Hinata could only spell one thing.

Cold and uneasiness alike tore through her quivering insides until Hinata was sure that if she didn't speak right now, something decidedly _different_ was going to share the space between them.

''What is it?'' Hinata asked, voice tuned high with an overwhelming amount of anxiety, barely able to crawl above the ruckus of the wind.

Without looking up, the younger girl spoke in a steady voice, ''Hyūga-sama wishes to see you, Hinata-sama.''

A slow weaving web of panic began encasing Hinata's mind and fresh images of what happened yesterday flashed in a perfect loop.

Had _he_ found out?

Were it the meetings at the oak tree; too close to the mansion not to notice, or did her crafty father have her followed? She chewed her bottom lip in thought, wary of the dampness of her hands despite the cold breeze's attempt to turn her fingers into frozen peas.

But, wait… This was fine, wasn't it?

It happened sooner than she expected, that was true. Hinata had needed some time to mentally prepare herself before facing her father and bear the weight of his judgement, but no matter the time or reasons why—this was a conversation she was bound to have.

Hinata swallowed hard, reminding herself to breathe through her nose and school her features into the perfect image of stoicism in case the hunched-over girl looked up and saw something unbecoming of the heir to their so-called esteemed clan. Somehow Hinata couldn't understand why it felt like someone had pulled the rug from underneath her and fixed their hands around her throat. If this was supposed to be fine, why did she feel so unsettled?

''I see,'' Hinata managed from between straining lungs. ''Then, please, lead the way.''

The girl dipped her head low before twirling around to walk to the beckoning doors. Hinata sluggishly stalked behind.

Upon entering through the doors, Hinata noticed the way the mansion was suspiciously vacant of life. There was nothing but empty space where members often aligned the walls and politely bowed to their passing by leaders, even the silence was disturbing. Although the Hyūga were known for their quiet deposition, the atmosphere seemed heavier than normal as if it was carrying out its judgement.

Hinata traced the closed doors and listened to the sound of trudging footsteps. Every step ricocheted inside her heart and shot nerves up her spine that ended up housing in her throat. The girl in front of her was unruffled by the current state of their surroundings and that alone was reason enough for Hinata to deem this peculiar situation premediated. Her senses were not mistaken, honed as they were by years of trainings and wars, because the man that she faced in a relatively empty study room had been waiting for her. Paperwork was pushed astride his desk and his eyes immediately fixed upon his daughter's pale face when she strode in.

She might have jumped at the sound of the door shutting behind her.

No words were shared for several of minutes. Nothing came out even as she mentally prepared her speech. An imperceptible chain reigned back her tongue and Hinata could feel the way it made her mouth numb and stomach queasy, grappled for control in a body too small to bear the weight. In the presence of a man who appeared larger than even life itself without so much as speaking or moving, Hinata lost most function of her body. Her hands quivered, her breathing sighed jerkily in her ears and just _how_ could this man make her lose her own sense of self so easily?

Hinata blinked away the tears of frustration and clenched her hands. ' _Calm down_ ,' she quietly chastised herself. Showing weakness in front of her father would not benefit her. As an alternative to combat her spiraling out of control emotions, Hinata sought inside herself for a face. A quirky grin and whiskered cheeks and slowly, Hinata's sped up heartrate subsided, smoothing into a steady beat.

''Father,'' she started, to her own surprise. ''You've wished to see me?''

When she levelled him with an unwavering gaze, Hinata spotted the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes before it ebbed away like the tides that came too close to the shore.

The leader to Konoha's currently strongest clan folded his fingers around his mouth so his hands cradled his chin. Above the knuckles of tanned skin, white eyes stared at a much younger version of his dearly departed wife. It took him only a second to brush away the image. ''Did you have fun,'' he asked.

Hinata's stomach churned, but she refused to budge. If she disclosed her whereabouts, Naruto would have to feel the brunt of her father's rage and that was something Hinata would never allow to happen. ''My apologies father, but I'm not sure what you mean.''

''Do you take me for a fool, Hinata?''

She flinched. ''Of course not,'' Hinata thought for a moment. ''But I can hardly tell you anything if I don't know what I am being accused of.''

''So you are aware of accusations against you.''

''I'm only aware of _you_ accusing me of something, father.''

Their back and forth squabble left no room for hesitation. Words were flung sharp where they thought a certain hit was guaranteed and parried when faced with a counterattack. It wasn't quite a battle of wits as much as it was a battle of resolve.

Her father smiled wryly. ''And what is it you think I might be accusing you of?''

''I don't know,'' she immediately replied, wary of what he'd do if he noticed any pause in her voice. ''But. Why else is everyone in their rooms so early during the day if not because you've asked them to, so you could speak to me in private? Even if this meeting is about a special mission, it shouldn't require this much secrecy.''

''Deduction skills worthy of a ninja,'' he noted wistfully. ''It is a shame that's where your skills end.''

Hinata sucked her lips between her teeth as the insult hit her. Hard.

He continued, ''I wonder if the Uzumaki boy would know what I mean,'' he asked rhetorically without actually mulling the thought over. An observation, plaited with quiet consideration along a gaze almost as penetrative as the _Byakugan_ , proved that Hyūga Hiashi had no qualms interrogating his daughter by using whatever means possible. He was sly about it, poked at her senses using a compelling threat, and the gentle hearted eldest daughter who could not bear the thought of hurting her loved ones, fell right into his trap.

Her eyelids twitched and the experienced ninja latched on.

'' _There's_ the reaction I was waiting for,'' her father quipped up, watching her with an unamused expression.

Hinata felt her stomach sink to the bottom. ''N—Naruto-kun has nothing to do with—''

''With what? Pray tell, Hinata, how could you know whether he has or does not have anything to do with your accusation if you're unaware of what you're being accused of?''

Her mouth trembled to speak, afraid she would stutter again, feared she would make another mistake by using the wrong words or say the wrongs things, because even though their clan was well-known for their powerful eyes, a leader could not be a leader if he or she only excelled in one thing. And clan leader Hiashi had pride in his ears too. Hinata took in deep and long breaths and made sure her gaze didn't falter, erasing any sign of weakness before it presented itself. ''I simply think it would be inappropriate to involve someone else in what might be a clan affair.''

''You should have thought about that before you slept over at his house.''

Hinata paled away.

Horrified and tasting bile, she shook her head, currently distrusting her voice. At the same time, Hinata realized just how important it was to deny this. To deny this turn of events. The situation was shaping up to end very badly, but at all cost she had to protect Naruto-kun. Even if it meant suffering as a result.

Right now, that was most important.

Although, Hinata couldn't get herself to speak. The shock had done more damage than she had expected.

''Did you think I would not have noticed?'' Hiashi huffed at her incredulous face. ''It did not matter at first. What the two of you did seemed harmless; meeting up, going out or even sharing a meal. Do not be mistaken, I do not think Naruto is a bad person. Contrary! I owe him a great deal. We all owe him our lives.'' He sighed once more, leaning his elbows on the table and shooting her a severe look. ''But that does _not_ mean I owe him _my daughter._ ''

That made her stiffen.

Hinata bit her lip, trying to control the feelings welling up inside her. _Owe him his daughter?_ Why was he talking as if she was a prize _he_ could hand over whenever he deemed right? As if he owned her. As if she was a child of convenience, given to a man who would make their clan prosperous, rather than using her own two hands to choose the one she loved.

''Do you even care about what I want, father?'' Her hands clenched and unclenched, and with barely controlled tears, she stared into the eyes of a man thunderstruck at hearing the raw emotion in her voice. ''When have you ever asked if I wanted to marry Otsutsuki-san?''

''I didn't ask, because your opinion should not matter.'' Hinata flinched back as if she had been slapped. ''I believed you would understand the significance of your duty. I trusted you to find the strength to make the most of your situation, _despite_ your true feelings.''

''That's not fair,'' she whispered.

''I may not show it, Hinata, but I have always noticed how hard you've worked to become stronger. Even though—'' He shook his head, huffing out a heavy breath. ' _'Even though_ Hanabi has more predisposition as a ninja, you too have your own strengths.'' He seemed very genuine. The edges of his face had softened as much as could be expected from her stoic father, but Hinata could tell that her father was at least trying to be kinder. ''You are smart and you are determined. You would've made the best of your situation, because that is your strength. You would not have broken underneath the weight, because you have proven to be strong enough.''

Her lips trembled.

''But,'' the clan leader continued, lofting his chin in the air. Eyes turned cold. ''Seeing what you've done, I realize I may have been wrong about you.''

''That's not fair,'' she repeated again, voice thick with held back tears. ''No matter my strengths, father, I still hurt. Please do not cast away my achievements just because I don't want to be used by you.''

Hiashi's face twisted ominously as he smashed the flat of his hands against his wooden desk, making Hinata recoil. ' _'Used_?'' He spat with venom. ''Is that how you perceive _your duty_?''

''I do not want to marry, Otsutsuki-san,'' she told him honestly.

''Because you want to marry Naruto,'' her father ascertained.

''Because I want to marry out of love.''

Throwing a hand out, he swiped with it as if brushing the subject off. ''Irrelevant. You can build love during marriage.''

''That is not the same thing.''

''You only feel that way because you want the Uzumaki boy.''

''That's not it.''

''Then marry Toneri!''

''No!''

Her exclamation carried through the spacious room and for several of seconds neither of them spoke. Whether it was because of the shock both parties tasted at hearing the soft-spoken Hyūga heir raise her voice or because they found themselves at an impasse where they weren't going to reach an agreement any time soon, neither knew. Perhaps it was both. Hinata was breathing hard and her father, with an unreadable expression, reclined back on the white pillow. Like an echo, Hinata heard her determination resonate in her mind; an unyielding sound that kept her grounded and strong.

After another moment past without either of them speaking, her father pulled his eyes away. He absently reached for the scrolls he had once pushed to the side and picked one from the top of the stack with steady fingers, busying himself with the words he read there. ''Then you are dismissed,'' he told her absently, scribbling something down and no longer paying her any mind. She blinked stupidly, looking from between him and the piece of paper on his desk and feeling the tightness in her chest loosen.

But her relief was short lived.

''Send in Hanabi while you're out.''

The realization was like being washed off with cold water.

''Wh—what?'' Hinata couldn't keep her voice from trembling, suddenly numb to everything around her and taken aback by the growing horror sliding up with slimy fingers. Her tongue felt like lead and she found herself inching forward without even meaning to. Her father didn't look up, indifferent to the meaning relayed in his words and the effect they had on his pale-eyed eldest daughter. ''Wh—why Hanabi?''

She didn't need to ask, because she already had a feeling, but Hinata stubbornly did anyway.

''What do you mean 'why Hanabi'?'' He looked up from the scroll, writing material paused mid-air. ''If you won't marry Toneri, then Hanabi will. Unlike you, Hanabi will fulfill her duty without complaint.''

''Hanabi is thirteen!'' She screeched, almost hysterical.

Hiashi pinched his eyes, but made no comment on Hinata's steadily growing agitation or her tone of voice. ''I am well aware of the age of my youngest daughter, Hinata. As you should be aware that you are burdening her with your obligations by running away.''

''No,'' Hinata denied.

''Of course it would only be an engagement at first. The marriage would have to be postponed until Hanabi is off-age. However, after that…'' A streak of light trickled from the window and shone behind her father's hulking figure, casting an eerie shadow across his face. ''I need you to understand that this marriage will happen. With or without you. You will either marry Toneri or you will have to deliver Hanabi to me, so I can tell her that she has to marry a man nearly twice her age because her sister is a coward.''

Hinata made a choked-up sound and her father continued unperturbed. Relentlessly knocking the screw down with the stubbornness of a hammer. ''Your answer?''

Hinata shuttered her eyes, fighting against the pain in her chest that grew like thorns on a rose, ''You would do that to us, your own daughters?''

''Don't make me sound like a monster, Hinata. I am doing this _for_ the both of you. This union will mean much to our bloodline.''

But all she heard was how much this union would mean to _him_.

Hinata saw Naruto in her mind's eye. And then she saw Hanabi.

She forced her eyes to remain shut.

''I won't let you do this to Hanabi,'' she affirmed.

Her father made no comment on her pick of blame and countered with an inquiry, ''Can I gather that as your yes to the engagement?''

Hinata remained silent. Her father took that as a concession.

''Good then,'' he scribbled something on the scroll. ''In addition to our deal, you are to stay inside your room until the day of your wedding. I will station guards at your door to keep watch. I cannot have you going to Naruto and worrying your future husband. Behavior like that is improper as an engaged woman and I will not allow you to bring more shame upon our clan than you already have.''

Hinata was about to hurl.

''When you walk out of this door you will find two guards ready to take you to your room. Comply. You are dismissed.''

Hinata didn't immediately leave, partly because her legs wouldn't listen and also because a part of her wanted to say something. Even though she wasn't quite sure what words she wanted to exchange with her father, Hinata still felt that there was a lot left unsaid. Mostly, what kept her locked in place, was the overall side of her that understood leaving this room would mean letting go of Naruto. If her father noticed her dawdling presence, he didn't comment on it as if trying to be considerate in his own twisted way.

Then again, what could a man that would have his own daughter tailed and sold off to the best bidder ever know about consideration?

…

Hinata stumbled out of the study room as the door fell close behind her. Her hand blindly reached for support, a wall to brace herself against, a ground inclined to hold her body up or a hand strong enough to keep her from collapsing. Her sight had begun to waver, blurred by a stream of unshed tears. Hinata didn't trust her own ability to make it to her room in one piece, lost in a conversation that had impaled her future on a spike. Her father's face flashed in front of her eyes and Hinata blinked several of times to erase the image, but there was no waking up from this. No matter how many times she blinked or brushed her fingers over stinging eyes, today remained like a broken music box that had long since begun grating on her ears. Vaguely, Hinata sensed two sets of familiar chakra around her. Though she couldn't see them—currently couldn't see anything except waves of converging colors—Hinata felt a chill run up her spine as the guards gripped her arms and inadvertently stopped her from sinking to the floor.

Naruto had taken over a significant part of her heart and Hinata mewled pathetically as his face crossed her mind again. And then bit her tongue when she saw her little sister emerge as a flurry of innocent smiles right after the vibrant ninja. They were intricate strings and Hinata was the knot that tied them together, the fragile piece that would hurt them if she came undone. The guards dragged her to her room, paid no mind to her uncoordinated legs tripping over themselves and took her to where she would spend her remaining maidenhood until it was time for her to enter into marriage.

Would Naruto come once he found out?

Panic suddenly shot through her then. Her feet completely stopped moving and her body stiffened as the realization dawned upon her that Naruto _might actually do that_ , throw caution in the wind, _barge in_ during the wedding ceremony and all-around cause the kind of havoc that would make him enemy to all Hyūga. Worse, ruining a political marriage as an outsider could even force the hand of the Hokage if Hinata's father deemed the situation grave enough and took the act as an direct attack to their clan. Unconcerned by their heir's imprudent behavior, the guards dragged her limp body along even as a sudden surge of energy whacked her back to reality and she began pulling away. Firmly placing her feet on the ground and using her weight to fall back, Hinata attempted to push her family members off her. Etiquette be damned.

''L—Let go.'' At first her voice was a quiet whisper, tongue tasting the words hesitantly, but she grew bolder. Had to force her voice out, because they wouldn't listen to her, had not even bothered looking at her as they yanked her forward and Hinata stumbled. ''Let go!'' Hinata screeched.

One pale-eyed guard pinned her down with a sharp look. ''Hyūga-sama, your fath—''

The man was cut off as Hinata yanked her right arm back with a force neither guards had expected from her. The guard who had been interrupted stumbled forward and tripped over a foot Hinata had deliberately placed in front of him. He lost his footing and went down with a shocked yelp, chin hitting the ground and knocking him out cold. The next guard followed soon, partly because he was too preoccupied watching his comrade and somewhat taken aback by the brunt of Hinata's chakra-less palm in the pit of his stomach choking him out.

Retaliating in this way hardly made sense. Her behavior would only serve to anger her father. And Hinata—painstakingly—couldn't, for the life of her, turn her back on her sister— _but_.

If she didn't tell Naruto the truth, that would be a crime. At the very least she owed him her voice, even if her clan held it in low regard. Hinata had to meet him at their oak tree if only to say goodbye.

She pumped her feet down the hallway, leaving a mess of limbs behind, but it was there at the skirt of the staircase where Hinata met her end.

Skidding to a stop at the sight of a hovering figure, Hinata faced her cousin.

Neji leaned his back against the railing, arms crossed over his chest and head bowed. There were no words he said, but Hinata felt his sheer force of will keep her rooted on spot. Neji had made his choice. Or perhaps neither Neji as Hinata had a fair choice in the matter. Simply pawns to their clan leader's game.

''I cannot permit you to go any further, Hinata-sama,'' Neji said soberly.

Her lips shook and she bit them hard enough to taste a twinge of blood. ''Neji-niisan…''

''Please turn back around. We can still fix what you've done,'' he said, referring to the fallen members. He had probably been secretly tasked to watch over her—an extra guard in case Hinata's latent unpredictability reared its head—and witnessed the short struggle taking place. ''However if you continue down this road…'' Neji looked up with a severe glint in his eyes and Hinata swallowed. ''You will leave me no choice but to act.''

She shut her eyes. Hinata knew she had no chance against her cousin. Whenever Hinata had taken two steps forward, Neji was already five steps ahead.

She knew it all too well and Hinata understood her position.

But still, what about her feelings? What about Naruto's?

''I only need to talk to him, Neji-niisan,'' she tried, hoping he would let her go just this once. ''T—This,'' Hinata clenched her teeth, swallowed down the painful lump in her throat that came with the confession until her voice no longer trembled. ''This is the final time. I promise.''

''It will only be harder on the both of you if you meet him now.''

'' _Please_.''

He blinked up at her. ''Hinata-sama,'' Neji sighed as he watched her tear filled eyes. ''Even if you say you'll come back, I don't think Naruto would let you go. He would snatch you up. Lock you down. He is the type of man who would fight our _whole_ clan if it meant he'd be able to keep you. We would never see you again, because Naruto would never again allow you to leave his sight. That is why I cannot let you go.''

Hinata finally caved in. Falling into a sobbing mess on the floor. Patiently, her long haired cousin took the few steps up that separated them and laid a hand on her crown, quietly shushing his young leader with soft caresses. ''If it will help, I can talk to him. There's not much I can do to ease the ache, but…'' He brushed her hair from her face and listened to the wails that tore from her throat with powerless resignation. ''I hope that, at least this, can lessen your burdens.''

For this, Hinata was sincerely grateful, even if it left a slightly bitter aftertaste on her tongue. Her own incompetence had floored her and as a result, Hinata was trapped in a house she was supposed to call home.

…

It was the following day, late after midnight, when the sleep deprived and caged in Hyūga heir heard the yelling from downstairs. It started soft, a low rumbling that startled her from her seat on the cold floorboards of her bedroom and her self-deprecating thoughts. She braced herself on her right palm, leaned away from the door to her far left and frowned at it, wondering if she heard right. Hinata held herself impossibly still as she listened for any sign of amiss. For a moment she contemplated using her _Byakugan,_ knowing it would be against the rules was the sole reason Hinata didn't act and instead drew all of her other senses tight.

A loud bang resonated through the thick walls and with widened eyes Hinata jumped from the floor and made a bee-line for the door. Hinata quickly drew the conclusion that her family was in danger and fighting an unknown attack in the middle of the night. Who could it be? What kind of enemies had they made in these peaceful times? The voices had grown in volume. She could clearly hear the yelling, the sound of collapsing bodies like dropped wet towels, the sharp clattering of broken vases and the fighting. A mass of flesh against flesh and the crunches of broken bones and then—

'' _Hinata!''_

She froze with a hand on her doorknob and recoiled as if it had burned her palm in an acidic heat.

''Where are you?'' The growl puncturing the air was accompanied with another crunch, another slap. ''Answer me, Hinata!''

 _No way_ , Hinata thought stupidly.

There were voices people knew by sound and there were voices people knew by heart.

Hinata's chest constricted in recognition.

Among the jabber of interrupted warnings, heavy footfalls and swinging doors, Hinata's senses picked up a stir in her defenses, a commotion in her heart that took her to her knees. Naruto screamed her name hurriedly, wrecked his throat with a bark that had to have come from somewhere deep-seated, had to have been hauled out of his beating heart come what may, ''Hinata!''

She let her forehead touch the door, twisting her hand into a fist against the offending object. Her shoulders shook. Her resolve cracked and Hinata pushed her head against the wood harder, attempting to pull strength from the dull pain squirming across her gradually reddening brow. Of course he would come if she didn't show up, worried sick out of his mind and searching for answers Hinata couldn't personally give. Although she hadn't expected him to go this far and challenge her clan at home where he had a large disadvantage or better yet, Hinata had never expected him to go so far for _her,_ and in these circumstances, Hinata was the furthest thing from being ecstatic.

''Please,'' she whispered in a tone that couldn't climb above the ruckus outside her door. ''Please, go back.'' Hinata clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut, but they failed to catch the tears dripping out, finally let free. ''Go back, Naruto-kun. Please.''

No matter how many smacks Hinata heard, heavy grunts or labored breathing, Naruto chanted her name like the prayer of a wounded man at the foot of death left with too many regrets, desperately begging for one last chance before the grim reaper nabbed him away. Her tears splattered on top of her thighs, soaking up her clothes. All of her strength was spent stopping herself from wrenching the door open and throwing herself in Naruto's arms, allowing him to take her away. Unfortunately it wouldn't matter how far they would run and where their legs would take them, because there were people right here that would suffer the consequences of their actions. And Hinata loved Naruto. But she loved Hanabi too.

She hoped Naruto would forgive her for just this one selfish act; for going back on her promise to meet him again and for letting him go. She couldn't share the same _nindō_ as her beloved Naruto and neither could she walk at his side. Their paths had to end here, at the foot of this stronghold, if Hinata wanted to protect what was dear to her. ''Please… go back,'' she spoke into her arms, wetting it with her tears. ''Go ba—'' she choked on her sob, heaved through the wails that rubbed her throat raw.

She couldn't breathe.

She gasped through her rapid heartrate and fast respiration, clawing for air, trying to give her lungs what they needed by filling them up. It wasn't enough. Her mouth and nose weren't big enough to appease her thirst, lick away the dire need uttered by her hungry lungs. The lack of oxygen shook her to the chalk in her bones, the roots of her hair and the delicate lines of her soul. It became an all-consuming greed, a petrifying terror that invaded her in ways that left her feeling naked. Hinata couldn't _breathe_.

''Hinata, please answer me!''

Hinata slid to the floor and hid her face with her arms in what looked like a _dogeza,_ a low and formal bow, as if she was begging for Naruto's forgiveness though he couldn't see her. Though prostrating herself did nothing to lessen the black spots forming in front of her eyes, but only served to make them worse.

The fighting continued well into the night. Often Naruto would yell her name, tell his opponents ''to back the hell off'' and ''tell me where Hinata is, you bastards'' until he had to face more of the Hyūga members and endure the painful feeling of being hit at his chakra points. Naruto could only put up with so much before he too was mowed down because of the pain. But what took Naruto out while he was dangling on the edge wasn't a random member, arrived to cast the intruder out, but his good friend Neji. Hinata heard her cousin speak briefly, too low for Hinata to detect in the start of a panic attack slowly beginning to shave all links to her brain, but clear enough to know it was him, and then a loud thud followed.

All fighting ceased after that.

…

…

…

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**...**

 **The good left undone**

…

…

 _Chapter 5_

 _Final chapter_

Outside Hinata's room, groaning Hyūga picked themselves up and salvaged things that still had use after the storm that was Uzumaki Naruto had passed. They shuffled around meagerly with creaking backs and busted faces and wondered how to explain the collateral damage, consisting of expensive broken vases and dented walls, to their leaders. In the meantime, Hinata had stiffened at the alarming sound; a thud that eerily resembled a dropped lump of meat, and perched up on her knees while glaring wide-eyed at the door separating her from the chaos outside. Hinata felt whatever resolution she had, slip from her like sunlight past the crack of a poorly closed curtain. Sensing white hot panic seize the base of her throat once more, Hinata reached for the door and placed a trembling palm against it as if the hard surface could also support her mental state.

This feeling jarred her, made her aware of how she was missing from the side of the man she had promised to walk beside.

Neji was right. Fate was indeed a cruel thing.

Hinata gritted her teeth and pulled her hand back. With the way things stood Hinata couldn't very well fight her clan, couldn't selfishly ask anyone to jeopardize their lives for her, couldn't beg the Hokage for help without straining the relationship between her clan and the political ties it had with the Hokage—perhaps even risking an uprising that vaguely made her think of the Uchiha clan—and neither could she run away without leaving the dutiful Hanabi behind to fend for herself. The more she thought about her situation, the deeper she sank in the quicksand that had become her life.

Hinata repeatedly pounded her head on her knees in a fit of frustration as though she could beat the thoughts out. One thing was for sure. Nothing worth having came easy.

Her forehead burned.

Murmurs behind her door pulled her from her reverie. Head shooting up, Hinata tuned her ears to a familiar low-pitched hum. Her guards were present, that much was now certain, but Hinata discerned three different voices; one of which she knew by heart.

The door creaked open. The bones in her legs crackled when she shot up, body prepared to cling to the man who was about to step in her room. Her heart was pounding in her ears, racing a mile a minute and her stomach felt too taut, painful tight, like it was trying to curl up in itself. If this kept up, a panic attack might rear its head again.

The man closed the door behind him and Hinata narrowly caught a curious glance thrown over the shoulder of a guard, before the wood pried him from her sight.

She drew in a sharp breath, allowed the ball of air in her lungs to satiate the agitation in her heart. What a monster it was. So stubborn and hardheaded during moments where it was best off lying low. Hinata breathed out a part of her tension as she managed to ask: ''Is he…?''

Neji had the uncanny ability to understand Hinata even when she made little sense.

Her older cousin looked like he was contemplating what to share judging from his narrowed gaze and pursed lips. He took his time staring at an unparticular spot behind her head as if it held the answers to his current dilemma. Perhaps what he was going to tell Hinata in the confines of her room would be too much for her to bear. Did he think she was that delicate—or was the truth a bitter pill to swallow regardless of who stood in front of him?

At last, Neji-niisan had sufficiently gathered his words, Hinata could only assume, because he began to speak. ''He's sad,'' Neji tried at first.

He searched her room for something to busy himself with or perhaps Neji couldn't bear to look at her either. Maybe the sight of her face made his stomach churn like it did to hers.

His eyes fell on a forlorn forest green chair in the right corner of her room, near the foot of her bed and he walked toward it. Turning it around, so he faced his cousin, Neji took a seat. They stared at each other for a brief moment before he darted his eyes away, sighing. ''No… perhaps 'sad' is expressing things too lightly. Naruto appeared devastated. And too be honest, I have… never seen him like this before.''

Her heart painfully squeezed together. Her hand made haste to grab the fabric of her shirt between her breasts as though she could hold the bleeding organ in her hand and lull it to sleep. Hinata wasn't aware of the expression she was currently making, but Neji must not have liked the look on her face, because he quickly jumped in to ease the brunt of his words. ''Hinata-sama, this is _not_ your fault. You put your clan first! Nothing less can—or should—be expected of an heir. Neither could you have known how Naruto… would react. And Hyūga-sama…'' His gaze turned downcast as he referred to her father, shaking his head madly, ''has left you little to no choice. To think you could make any other decision is unconscionable—''

''Is this the right thing to do?''

He paused, taken aback by the sudden interruption and confused about the direction their conversation was taking. ''What?''

Her eyes snapped toward him then and Neji shuddered at how hollow they looked. ''Is this the right thing to do, Neji-niisan,'' she repeated.

It was disquieting how Hinata appeared to stare at him, but at the same time wasn't staring at him at all. She seemed far away. Not quite here. Neji might as well have been standing in his underwear and Hinata wouldn't have given a peep. It was the look in her eyes that was so unnerving. It made Neji feel like a ghost that had outstayed its welcome and had finally been caught by an exorcist.

''I have been thinking and thinking _and thinking_ and my mind hurts and my heart,'' her fist pressed hard against the surface of her chest, ''hurts so much. I have been backtracking and wondering what I could do to protect Hanabi _and_ Naruto-kun _and_ our family. I keep asking myself: what part of me must I sacrifice in order to make everyone happy? But whatever I come up with, whatever I think to do,'' her eyes began to water, lips quivering in an attempt to hold back the tears. The blood drew back from her knuckles as her skin strained against the brittle bones of her fingers. ''Someone always ends up hurt. Am I right for protecting Hanabi instead of fighting for Naruto-kun or am I supposed to let Hanabi down and follow Naruto-kun wherever it may take me? Neji-niisan, am I doing the right thing?''

''You are looking out for your family.'' He told her patiently. He stood up from his chair and cautiously approached her like one would a frightened wild animal, palms of his hands directed outwards in a placating manner. ''You are giving up the man you have loved almost your entire life, even though you don't want to. Not many can muster up that kind of courage, because this _is_ strength, Hinata-sama,'' he assured her. ''It takes strength to give something so important up.''

''I'm not so sure I want to possess this kind of strength,'' she whispered, surprising herself though her words were without lies.

The prodigal cousin casted his gaze downwards. It wasn't hard to imagine what she was going through. He too had found himself on a junction where duty and love where put on opposing paths. Neji would be lying if he were to say that he had never been swayed to forgo duty… and yet here he was. The dutiful cousin. The prodigal boy; ready to jump lest he is told not to. There were times he pondered whether he was truly happy; if the decisions he made in order to come to this point had been the right ones, and the answer to his questions wouldn't come as swiftly as he hoped. ''Would you rather give up Hanabi-sama?'' He asked her.

''I don't want to give her up.''

''And what of the clan?'' The choice wasn't easy, but Neji believed the answer was clear. ''Would you doom it to an unprosperous fate?''

She shook her head. ''I don't want that either,'' but neither did she want to give Naruto up. She shouldn't be greedy. Hinata couldn't have everything. ''I only wish there was a way I could protect everyone,'' she said through clenched teeth. ''Is that so wrong?''

Neji made sure to look her in the eye when he spoke, ''No, it's not. Unfortunately the cards you have been dealt are not in your favor. I'm sorry. I wish I could have done more for you, but...''

This was his dilemma too. He only hoped giving her an update on Naruto was… something worthwhile.

Hinata moved to sit on her bed as she shook her head. Hinata didn't believe Neji had anything to apologize for. ''It's fine. You've done what you can. You got him out of the mansion, didn't you?'' Even in a lion's den, Naruto had a friend. ''You even spared some time to inform me of his well-being. You've done so much for me. Thank you, brother.'' Her lips tilted into a smile that looked like a grimace, but Neji respectfully decided not to comment on it.

She wanted to be alone now and Neji understood her silent plea after their conversation came to a natural end. He went for the door after squeezing her shoulders in a sign of support and grabbed the knob, twisted it, but paused.

His mouth opened.

Whatever he thought of saying in that sliver of time was swallowed back into the base of his throat as he closed the door behind him. Shrouding her in complete silence.

…

Hinata wasn't sure how much time she had spent inside her room before she received her second visitor aside from the maid that had dutifully brought Hinata's daily meals. The guards were still glued to the back of her bedroom door as Hinata wasted her days away brooding on her choices. There were times she could hear them whispering, pitying her fate and yet deeming it a necessary one for their futures. _For their clan_. And try as they might lower their voices so the girl behind the door couldn't hear them, Hinata was still a ninja. Her senses were keen.

Despite how miserable she felt, it surprised her that she was yet to cry. Though appearing as a shell of her former self, Hinata still moved. She still ate. And when the time came to marry, Hinata would still be alive. Her body would drag itself out of bed, hoist itself into a dress and move toward the altar like the dutiful lamb she was tasked to be. However it was as a shell she was found one day, curled up on top of her bed with greasy long hair framing her paler than normal face. A young girl tip-toed into her older sister's room and bore witness to what remained of her, a small figure covered by dirty sheets, and before the younger girl could quietly position herself at her sister's back—probably in order to comfort the ghost-like remnants—a hand grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip.

The smaller girl froze. Under her fingers, Hinata felt the texture of silk. The smell of bath soap and mint. Hinata assumed it was already late.

Slowly and with her free hand, Hanabi moved her index finger to her lips. _Shh_.

Hinata simply stared at the spot where she thought her sister must have been.

Hanabi crawled on top of the bed, shuffling closer with her knees and using her one free arm to drag herself toward the vague silhouette of the soon-to-be-wedded heiress of the Hyūga clan. Hanabi didn't stop when they were close enough to feel each other's breaths. Instead, Hanabi placed her head on top of Hinata's shoulder and sighed deeply, no doubt relishing the warmth her older sister radiated. Hinata released Hanabi's wrist and moved her hand to Hanabi's back and like that they stayed, basking in the temporarily silence, on Hinata's messy bed.

It had been a while since she last saw her little sister. With everything that had happened, including Toneri showing up and Hiashi demanding an union between both clans through marriage, Hinata had found herself with little time on her hands to inquire about her sibling's feelings on the matter. Even so, these were troubling times for _both_ sisters. Their freedom was at stake here, although Hinata had implicitly sworn to protect her little sister at all cost, Hanabi wouldn't be safe until Toneri and Hinata were married. The pressure of Hinata's hand on Hanabi's lithe back became a little harder.

''I don't mind,'' Hanabi suddenly said, voice soft as to not wake up any late night patrols and muffled in the crook of Hinata's neck.

By the way, what exactly had happened to the guards at Hinata's door? Were both of them sleeping or had they taken pity on the sisters and granted Hanabi entrance since they hadn't seen each other in a while?

''What's that, bunny?'' Hinata asked, using the endearment reserved for when they were alone.

''Marrying Ōtsutsuki-san. I don't mind marrying him.''

Hinata froze.

Slowly she placed her hands on Hanabi's shoulders and gently pushed her back. Hinata was stunned, to put it nicely.

Though Hanabi couldn't really see Hinata's aghast face, the wide lavender of her eyes stood stark against the darkness. As if what she had said wasn't already horrifying, Hanabi began to patiently explain. ''I overheard some of the members speaking about you after Naruto pulled that crazy stunt. You—never told me he finally reciprocated your feelings.''

''It doesn't matter,'' Hinata swallowed around the lie.

But Hanabi wasn't having any of that. ''Liar. Of course it does. You've loved him probably before I was even born. How could something like that _not_ matter? Whatever,'' Hanabi sighed, looking away. ''I get it. It's because of me, isn't it? You're trying to protect me. I heard that if you don't marry Ōtsutsuki-san, father is going to make me marry him. I'm the reason you can't be with Naruto.''

''Stop it,'' Hinata said firmly, taking Hanabi's hands in hers and squeezing it. ''This is my decision. This is not your fault. I won't have you think otherwise.''

''You're so stupid.''

That made her splutter. ''Eh?''

''Who do you think will be happy after your marriage,'' Hanabi choked. ''After you devote yourself to a man you don't love, who do you think will be happy? Do you think I will hug you when no one is watching and thank you profusely for saving me from a man nearly half my age while you rot away from the inside out? Or do you think Naruto will sigh out in relieve after realizing what for self-sacrificing woman he has come to love as your soul slowly withers away? Do you know what a loveless marriage does to you? It kills you, elder sister. It tears you apart. It makes you feel as though you're no longer living even when you are. Do you think the children you will bring into this world will thank their mother for giving them life as they slowly come to realize their existence is paired with the reason she wants to die? You're so stupid!'' Hanabi wrenched her hands away as Hinata was left feeling completely exposed. Her little sister was shaking. ''No one—absolutely no one who truly loves you—will be happy with this. Stupid Hinata. Stupid!''

Hinata looked down at her hands. They were hovering in the air, torn between reaching for her sister and wrapping them around herself. ''I'm sorry,'' she whispered instead. ''I'm so sorry, Hanabi.''

''Stupid. Don't apologize.''

''I don't want you to suffer.''

''And I don't want you to suffer,'' Hanabi ricocheted. ''What a mess we're in, huh?''

Indeed, but it was now that Hinata had come to realize something very important. While she was busy thinking up ways to protect her loved ones, she had failed to realize her loved ones might want to protect her too. She thought her choice would save Hanabi, but it appeared she had it wrong.

No longer hesitating, Hinata placed a heavy hand on top of Hanabi's crown. Her sister looked up.

''Little bunny,'' Hinata began, schooling her features even though Hanabi couldn't see her. ''Do you think you could arrange for Toneri-san and I to meet?''

Hanabi sat up a little higher. ''Why?'' Hinata imagined seeing a quizzical frown and a small pout on Hanabi's face.

''There's something I need to do. Don't worry,'' she added hastily, already hearing the start of a protest in the way Hanabi exhaled sharply. ''I won't do anything too stupid. _I hope_. I simply want to talk to him. Could you make that happen for me, please?''

After a beat of silence, Hanabi slowly nodded.

Hinata forced herself to smile. ''Good. Now, you should hurry off to bed. Can't have the guards or maid come in and catch you.''

''Oh, don't worry about that! I threate—err—talked to the guards—''

''Wha—''

''And I'll make sure to leave before the maid shows up! Please let me stay for the night. It's been a while, hasn't it?''

Well, Hinata couldn't deny that it had been a while, but what was that about a threat? Perhaps she was better off not finding out. Hinata also reckoned the maid wouldn't make it a too big of a deal if she happened to find Hanabi here in the morning, so she sighed.

''Then, just for tonight, alright?''

Hinata heard loud swishing as Hanabi nodded her head. They crawled underneath the blankets and Hanabi instantly buried herself underneath Hinata's chin, circling her arms around her waist. Hinata made sure to enjoy the moment while it lasted. The citrusy smell of Hanabi's hair. The mint of her breath. The warmth of her skin. It was very peaceful.

''So,'' Hanabi's quiet voice split apart the silence. ''You and Naruto, huh?''

Hinata's heart squeezed painfully.

That didn't seem accurate anymore.

''Never thought he'd realize your feelings, in this life, at least.''

Unable to help herself when thinking about the boy who had captured her heart, Hinata began smiling as she spoke about him. It was natural—loving him—like breathing was. ''He didn't quite realize it. More or less asked.''

''Wh—aat? Seriously?'' Hanabi bristled.

''Yup. I told him, after he told me he loved me.''

Hanabi gasped. ''He told you _first_?''

Even now it seemed surreal. Naruto had fallen in love with her. Naruto had kissed her. Naruto had made love to her.

Hinata blushed.

''He did,'' Hinata was overcome with a sweet warmth. ''When he said it, I thought life finally made sense. I hadn't even realized something was missing until he told me the words I've longed to hear. It's almost scary how he completes me. Almost.''

Hanabi hummed, moved a little closer. ''Sounds nice,'' she said into Hinata's shirt. ''Loving and being loved, I mean. Don't give him up.''

''I don't want to.''

''Then don't.''

Yes, Hinata had a vague idea on how to put an end to this, once and for all. She just hoped Naruto would be willing to listen to her afterwards, whether it turned out for the better… or for the worse.

…

The sky was a morose gray when she met Toneri at the front porch of her house. The snow had melted considerably and under the splotches of crystal white glimmered shades of green, soft blades of grass sprouting forth as they sparkled despite the lack of sunlight. Toneri stood on the slight elevation that led them outside, near the ledge, and watched water drip down the grass blades. He seemed entirely too focused on the little happenings of mother nature, but Hinata was sure he had noticed her presence, so she didn't announce herself. Hinata simply clasped her hands together and walked into the cold air in her thin, pale blue, kimono. She had finally washed her hair. It was fastened on top of her head in a neat bun as a few stray strands that had managed to escape, dangled down her neck.

To anyone passing by, these two would look like a perfect married couple drawn artistically on an old painting.

Hinata knelt at the edge of the platform and extended a hand to a random icicle. When her fingers touched the small cube, it came undone. It was so fragile that it had shattered into pieces upon impact.

Melted water ran down her fingertips and dripped aimlessly to the ground.

It was much like waking up from a dream.

''Toneri-san, have you ever been in love?''

She felt his gaze weigh heavy on her. ''I was hoping I would come to love you.''

''Is that so?'' Her lips quirked up. Hinata placed her wet hand into her lap and looked out over the lane. ''When I was younger, my mother told me a story. Have you heard of 'The letters from war'?''

''I'm afraid I haven't.''

''I see,'' Hinata spared him a fleeting glance. ''It's a tragic love story. A village woman had fallen in love with a knight and he had fallen in love with her, but their country was at war. They had only spent a short time together before he was called to serve his king. At first, the woman and the man exchanged many letters, but at some point he stopped sending any letters back. The woman, as hopelessly in love as she was, didn't allow his silence to deter her and continued sending letters. Professing her undying love. Wishing for his well-being. And yet, he never responded. Do you think she knew?''

He allowed a pause to wash over them. ''That he was dead?'' Toneri asked her and when Hinata nodded, he told her, ''I think she did.''

''Why did she continue her letters even while knowing he had passed away? That's what my mother asked me. May I ask you the same question, Toneri-san?''

A sharp wind suddenly swept by and Hinata hugged herself against the cold.

''Surely it's because she refused to believe he had passed away,'' he said. ''Deep down she knew he was gone. Stopping her letters would be the same as giving in to that fact. What's the point of this story, Hinata-san?''

''That's not why she continued writing.''

Toneri frowned.

''Mother said, it's because that was the only way she could show him her undying love. Even after the war ended, she still sent him letters. Placed it at his graveyard. Told him she loved him and always will.''

''Hinata-san,'' Toneri sighed. ''Are you in love?''

''I am.''

The branches rattled as another strong wind passed by, but this time Hinata didn't attempt to protect herself from the cold.

''Is this why you called me here?''

''I can never stop loving him, Toneri-san,'' she told him. ''Can one person truly be happy if their heart and mind are in a different place?''

Toneri looked at her funnily as though he wasn't sure whether to answer honestly. Unable to understand her question, he asked his own, ''Can you live without your heart and mind at the same place?''

''I don't think you can,'' Hinata whispered.

His frown deepened and then he froze. A look of clarity crossing his fair features.

''Oh,'' he said dumbly. Finally understanding.

Then he turned away from her and walked to the door of the mansion. Hinata felt sorry for him. Toneri wasn't a bad man. He had never done anything to hurt her. Toneri had a dream like most people did and chasing that dream required her assistance or at the very least the assistance of her little sister. Unfortunately neither could give him what he wanted and yet here Hinata was, counting on Toneri's kindness to help her through. She was mean, wasn't she?

''What… do you expect me to do,'' he asked her then and Hinata snapped her head back to look at him. He had an expressionless look on his face as he stared at her. ''Do you want me to talk to your father? My apologies, but I cannot do that. I am not ready to give up.''

''Toneri-san…''

''I envy him.''

Hinata flinched.

''It's that orange ninja, isn't it? The one we met more than two weeks ago? He is the one you love.'' She didn't answer, still worried about what could happen to Naruto if she confirmed it. ''I saw the way he looked at you. _Enthralled_ , is the best way to describe it. Were you hoping to garner my sympathy by telling me that story?''

''I was hoping you would understand why I can't marry you.''

Toneri scoffed.

Hinata rose and started walking toward the door. When they stood shoulder to shoulder—or in Hinata's case, _head_ to _shoulder_ —she gave him one last look. ''I—I didn't expect you to talk to my father. I cannot say I wasn't hoping you would offer. Alas, I am aware that this is something I must do on my own. I only aimed to make you see what an error it would be to marry a woman in love with another man.''

His nostrils flared as he glared down at her, but he didn't speak nor did he look at her again when she made her way toward her father's office.

…

It all came down to this, didn't it?

This was where it started. In this room. In front of this man. He still had that patronizing look in his eyes and the amount of papers on his desk had triple folded, but that was what it meant to be a leader. There wasn't a day's rest for people on top.

Is this what they called a full circle? _Ah_. What she wouldn't give to be back at Naruto's place, in his bed, in his arms and come undone underneath him. Maybe stuff her face full with ramen and hang out on top of the Hokage's statue where the world spread wide open for them and the air was good.

Who could have thought that Hinata would be forced to fight a battle that didn't require _kunai_ and chakra, but still end up so drained?

It didn't matter anymore.

There was something Hanabi had said that held her up. Those who truly loved her wouldn't accept this marriage. And if they did… then…

Then?

Could Hinata really run away?

''I hope you're here to tell me you have finally accepted your fate.''

''Father,'' Hinata started, voice clipping the stagnant atmosphere. ''This is not my fate.''

His jaw clicked as he leaned back and sighed to the ceiling. He raised two fingers and squeezed the bridge of his nose with them. His eyes shuttered and his shoulders sagged. ''Hinata,'' Hiashi lamented. ''Does this old dance not tire you?''

''Would I be a Hyūga if it did?''

The head of the clan flinched as if she had struck him across the face.

''Strength. Courage,'' Hinata ticked off. ''And determination. Are these not traits of the Hyūga? I've come to realize I would be going against your teachings if I do not pursue the voice of my heart.''

''This is not the time to insert our clan's values.''

''No, father. This is _exactly_ the time to insert our values. If I cannot be brave during troubled times then when _can_ I be brave?''

It started soft, as good as a cough, light and fluttery until it built up like a heckle. The sound was boisterous, struggling to properly free itself from his throat as her father spluttered with laughter. It grated on her ears, because Hinata spotted no ounce of genuine cheer in his tone nor was anything she had said remotely funny. Her father was mocking her.

He abruptly ceased all laughter.

''Out,'' he told her primly.

''With all due respect—''

''I do not want to hear it. It's clear you have nothing of merit to add. I told you to leave my office.''

''—your unwillingness to listen to me is a sign of weakness.''

The way his face froze was almost comical. His eyes nearly bulged out.

''What… did you… just say to me?''

''Are you not afraid to hear me out, because it terrifies you to hear your beliefs challenged?''

There was no time to think. No moment to pause. A proud man like her father needed to face the error of his ways. And Hinata could only show him the way if she remained composed and resolute. She kept her voice leveled and not once did her eyes stray from his own. ''Perhaps you should take a good look at yourself. Think very hard on what it is you want to protect. I do not think you would be able to recognize yourself if you were to look into the mirror.''

''Out!'' He backhanded the papers off his table and Hinata instinctively took a step back. ''Leave my room immediately, _Hinata_ , so help me God even if you are my daughter I will not let your insolence go unpunished!''

''So be it,'' she hissed.

Hiashi's head snapped back and his mouth fell open.

''Punish _me_ , but do not touch my sister. Do not touch Naruto-kun either. Take your anger out on _only_ me. But I will not marry Toneri-san. Yell at me. Hit me, but I will _not_ marry Toneri-san. Hanabi will not marry Toneri-san. We will not continue to be pawns in your game, father! We are your daughters! Have you forgotten?''

His faced splotched purple with anger, but also appeared exhausted. The shades underneath his eyes had darkened. He leaned both palms on his disarrayed desk and while looking down at the mess he had made, told her scathingly, ''I will drag you to the altar even if it's the last thing I'll do.''

She closed her eyes to the harrowing sight of the man she had loved first and foremost—her father—and ignored the stab of pain inside her heart. ''Then it is you,'' she sighed, ''who will have to explain to the gathering why your shameful daughter has embarrassed the clan by refusing to marry the heir to the Ōtsutsuki-clan.''

''You would go that far?'' He spat through the limp strands of hair hanging down his face.

Instead of answering him directly, Hinata thought back to the moment in her room with Hanabi. ''Someone once told me that the people who love you will want you to be happy. If you are not happy, then they are not happy.''

''You can become happy during the marriage.''

''I won't,'' she whispered. ''I really won't.''

''Get out,'' he sighed. ''Just leave.''

She took one step backwards, then another. It didn't seem like he had changed his mind. Hinata dropped her shoulders.

There was only one thing for her to do now.

She left to go to her room and make her preparations ready. There were still two days until the wedding commenced.

…

All Hiashi wanted was a stronger clan.

He hadn't watched her leave the room, but he felt it. Her presence packed a punch.

''Who does that girl resemble so much,'' he mumbled to himself as he dropped his weight into his seat, not bothering to properly position his legs and re-arrange the papers he had smacked to the floor. He had sat on one of them. One that required his signature, but Hiashi felt too tired to put a measly scribble on the slab piece of paper.

Why, of all times, couldn't she remain silent _now_? That girl had a habit of watching the world pass her by, but ever since that Uzumaki boy…

He sighed again. He couldn't tell whether Naruto was a blessing or a curse to his livelihood.

It wasn't just the clan Hiashi wanted to protect, but also his daughters. This union was as important to their family as it was to his eldest and youngest daughter. Why couldn't they just look at it from a long-term perspective?

Or was it Hiashi who had to look at it from a broader view? He could no longer tell what was right or wrong.

Even so, he had started on this road, so it was his duty to see it through to the end.

…

''What do you think?''

The dress was magnificent. Hinata stared at the full body length mirror placed in front of her. The dress she was wearing was white and embroiled with shimmering stones that looked like diamonds. It flowed long and had a flowery skirt that tempered at her feet, hemline splayed wide across the floor in a sea of fabric. The stones covered every inch of texture sans the thin spaghetti straps and tight corset that hugged her chest. That part was white so pristine, one felt the need to squint their eyes lest its brightness blinds their sight. As finishing touch, a baby purple sash was tied right underneath her bosom where the material changed into the mass of stones that kissed the breadth of her skirt.

Hinata clutched the fabric around her chest. ''I can't breathe.''

''Too tight?'' The seamstress fumbled with the lavender stained sash, unfolding the bow and tying a new, lax noose that hugged Hinata a little less tighter. ''Better?'' She asked.

Unfortunately the tightness in her chest remained. ''I—I still can't breathe.''

The seamstress' hands paused somewhere around Hinata's ribs and moved up to touch the shoulders of the soon-to-be-wedded heiress in a placid manner, almost as if she was dealing with a shivering puppy. It was chaste, but a slow, droopy smile curled around the older Hyūga member's mouth and was laced with the smallest hint of sympathy. ''I don't think I can fix that problem, Hinata-sama.''

A knock jostled them and the woman released her shoulders before bending toward the figure that entered the room. It was one of the guards. Hinata eyed him carefully.

''Is she ready,'' he asked the Hyūga seamstress.

Hinata's hair was already done too. Just like her dress, the ends of her hair were curled into perfection and looked like the gentle waves right before the ocean howled to the sky.

''She is,'' the seamstress told him. ''Hair, make-up and dress are done. Please be at ease.''

The guard nodded and motioned for Hinata to follow him. It was almost time.

Hinata followed the guard out of the door. It was the same one that had stood waiting when she was held in her room. The second guard was walking behind her. Neither said a word as they made their way to the hall where it would all take place. In a few minutes, Hinata would come face to face with her family and friends, and in less than an hour she would swear love and loyalty to the man her father had chosen.

Yes, that was what would happen were Hinata a different person than she was today.

''I need to use the restroom before we enter the great hall.''

''You look beautiful, Hinata-sama. No need for the restroom,'' the guard in front of her told her without reducing his pace. ''Our presence is needed now.''

Whether he realized something was amiss was beyond her, but Hinata didn't let his reluctance to let her out of his sight sway her.

''A woman does more than check on her make-up in the restroom,'' she pressed. ''They say bladder inflammation is very painful.''

Hinata noted the hot flush creeping up the nape of the guard's neck while the one behind her coughed insistently.

''Err—'' the second guard began. ''I think the restroom is at our left side.''

The first guard no longer resisted as they proceeded toward the secluded hallway were the washing rooms were lined up. Hinata made sure to inconspicuously check if there were any other members around and wait until they were walking down the narrow hallway before she brought her fingers to her mouth to make the hand-seal that summoned her _Byakugan_. She scanned the inside of the restrooms and the area around them for any sign of life. When she noted everything was in the clear, she made quick work of the guard behind her, so the one in front wouldn't know what hit him until it actually did. She worked swiftly once she turned around and cut the guard's chakra points. The dress was hard to move in, her feet nearly tripped over the thick material pooling around her legs and Hinata struggled to properly breathe in the corset, but what Hinata needed most were her arms and hands. That was why she had asked the seamstress to sew her a sleeveless dress, preferably one with spaghetti straps.

The first guard only noticed something was wrong when Hinata's opponent dropped limply to the floor and the thud reached his ears, but by then it was too late. Hinata had a handful of wars in her back pocket. Something as silly as a wedding dress wouldn't stop her from taking out two guards. The guard's eyes widened as he turned around and saw his fellow comrade on the floor. Still reeling from the surprise, Hinata took advantage of his shock and hit all chakra points needed to paralyze him. He dropped almost instantaneously.

There was no time to think. Hinata hoisted a part of the thick skirt in her hand and took the collar of one of the guards. She grunted softly as she pulled him across the floor toward the empty restroom. It was no surprise that no one was around at this moment. Almost everyone had gathered in the hall and were waiting for the wedding music that would signal Hinata's entrance. Hinata had roughly ten minutes before the music started and people would notice something was amiss. Until then, she had to lock the guards up in the empty stalls, find her little sister and make their great escape. Finding her sister wouldn't be hard. After Hinata's unpleasant conversation with her father, Hanabi had shown up at her room two more times before the wedding.

By then, Hinata had already formulated her escape plan and had told her little sister about it. If all was well, Hanabi was now waiting in one of the empty rooms as planned.

She shoved both guards in one stall. One lay clumsily on the floor and the other sat partly on the toilet seat as his slack head leaned on the side of the wall.

Hinata sighed tiredly as she closed the door.

Okay, now all she had to do was find Hanabi. The veins around her eyes thickened as Hinata focused on looking for her sister.

…

It became glaringly obvious something was wrong after fifteen minutes had passed and the bride to be did not show up. The musicians, bless their hearts, continued to play their instruments even as the whispers among the invitees grew. Several of Hyūga members scattered around the back, where the entrance was and hurriedly discussed the situation, but it was the face of Hyūga Hiashi that spoke volume. Something told Ino that Hiashi already knew what had happened.

No, there was probably no one around who _didn't_ know what had just transpired. Ino had to hold in her laughter.

The man Hinata was supposed to marry, to his credit, seemed completely unperturbed. Hell, if Ino didn't know any better she'd say he didn't even look surprised.

In the back, seated among Hinata's friends and family, a young man with long, spiky hair wrapped tightly in a ponytail yammered on in a bored tone, ''She just _had_ to take the troublesome route, hadn't she? I'm going to need a smoke if I'm going to sit through the reception.''

Temari, sitting at this man's left, smacked the back of his head.

''Ouch!'' Shikamaru yelped.

Chōji quietly piped up from Shikamaru's right side, ''Does this mean there won't be any cake? I was told wedding cake is the best kind of cake,'' undisturbed by the scene next to him, probably because he was used to it, Chōji resumed munching on his chocolate bar.

Ino rolled her eyes so far back, there was a moment only the whites were visible. ''That's not important, you idiots! Hinata pretty much just told the Hyūga to go fuck themselves. _Go, Hinata!_ '' Ino screeched the final part, standing on her feet and pumping a fist in the air, accidentally chaffing the toupee of the man in front of her so it leaned to the side of his head. ''Oops!''

…

They ran hand in hand and ignored the curious and shocked looks of the people they passed by, who couldn't quite believe their eyes once they saw the runaway bride. The underside of her dress was dirtied brown and Hinata had kicked off her heels somewhere along the way in order to make moving easier. Her hair was a clutter due to the wind and her skin was chilled because of the cold, but dared she say, Hinata had never felt more alive.

It was completely by chance that they crossed paths with Naruto. His cheeks were flushed and he seemed to be in a hurry. If Hinata hadn't called out his name, he might have passed her by and gone running in the direction she had just came from.

His eyes slid over to her once she called him, widened like a deer caught in headlights before he skidded to a stop. Hinata absently noted the bags under his eyes.

''Huh? What? Eh?'' His mouth flapped open like a gaping fish. ''Hinata? Eh? _Woah_ —no wait, huh?!''

''I think you broke him, elder sister,'' Hanabi chirped from behind her.

''Yes, it's me, Naruto-kun,'' Hinata said. She wasn't sure whether to walk toward him, but she found out that she didn't have to, because Naruto made that decision for her. Before she knew it, Hinata was enveloped by his arms in a tight hug and suddenly she felt like crying.

''Hinata,'' he breathed into her ear, burying his face inside her wild hair. '' _Hinata,''_ he repeated, choked-up. ''Shit. Crap. I thought I was too late.''

Hinata sniffed, tears tracing lines down her cheeks. ''You're not. Don't worry.'' Her free hand clutched the back of his shirt. ''I'm right here.''

''Thank God.'' He held her at arm-length, looked her over once, spared a fleeting glance at the smaller girl at her side and then grabbed her empty hand. ''Let's go,'' he said. ''I'll ask questions later. Something tells me now's probably not the best time.''

She gave him a grateful smile and together they ran as fast and as far as they could.

…

Ironically, the furthest place they went was Naruto's house, but Naruto promised that no one would take them as long as he was around, and so, for the first time since all of this had begun, Hinata allowed herself to lean on someone.

…

''What are you doing here?''

''I want to see my daughters.''

''Yeah, how 'bout no?''

Hiashi had finally shown up after Naruto had housed the girls for a string of days while they filled him in on the overall story. Naruto was enraged to find out what Hiashi had put Hinata through. There was no way he was going to let her father near her any time soon.

Naruto had half the mindset to close the door once he opened it and saw Hiashi, but there was something about the man's countenance that made him stop. Naruto didn't sense any hostility and the clan leader hadn't come here up in arms even while knowing that Hinata and Hanabi were sure to be at Naruto's house.

''You have no right to withhold me my daughters, Naruto.''

''Sure, 'cause that's something up your alley, right?''

Hiashi flinched and, shockingly, had the decency to look ashamed. ''I only want to talk to them.''

''You had your shot,'' Naruto huffed. ''I know the full story now. There's no way I'm handing them over. It sucks that this is the way we have to talk to each other, since I was hoping we could be friends seeing as I'm going to marry Hinata in the near future—''

''I beg your pardon—you are going to do what now?''

''—but,'' Naruto resumed. ''You haven't left me much choice,'' he sighed. ''I know it took me a while to figure out, but I really love Hinata 'ttabayo. Most of all, I want her to be happy and if she also allows me to be by her side that's even better, y'know? But when I thought she'd be happier marrying someone who isn't me, I nearly went under with the pain. I didn't want to give her up until I had tried everything I could to make her choose me. That's why, now that she's by my side,'' Naruto's eyes flashed. ''I don't plan on handing her over.''

Hiashi swallowed. ''I understand.'' He clenched his fists. ''That is why I'm here.''

''Eh?''

''I've decided to cancel the wedding.''

''Y—you have?''

Both men suddenly turned around as they heard a voice coming from the inside of the house.

Hinata moved into view. Her cheeks were slightly pink, no doubt because of what Naruto had just said. She laid a hand on Naruto's forearm.

''It's okay, Naruto-kun,'' Hinata's eyes slid toward her father. ''I want to talk to him.''

Naruto frowned but nodded and dropped a kiss on her forehead. ''Yell if he does anything, alright?''

''What in heaven's name do you take me for,'' Hiashi muttered under his breath once Naruto had moved a safe distance away. Then he sighed and stared at his eldest daughter for an unnamed amount of time. ''What you did was irresponsible,'' he told her.

Hinata squared her shoulders. ''You hadn't left me any other choice, father.''

''No, that is true too,'' he dragged his palm across his face. ''I seemed to have taken care of the clan as a clan leader should, but failed to take care of my daughters as a father should.''

Her heart clenched as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

''When both of you disappeared I was left to face the fact that I had pushed both my daughters away,'' Hiashi closed his eyes. ''Your mother would be livid if she knew. Hinata, I am sorry.''

This time she closed her eyes.

''But, even so, not showing up at the wedding also had its repercussions. I'm here to inform you.''

Not for a second had she thought that her actions would go unpunished. What she had done hadn't only involved her, but also her clan. She was ready to accept the consequences.

''From now on,'' Hiashi started. ''You are no longer the heiress to the Hyūga clan.''

''I see,'' she whispered. That made sense. After her shameful act, there was no way the Hyūga could continue respecting her as a leader.

''But at least now no one will care who you decide to marry.''

She looked at her father in surprise and he smiled. It was going to take her a while to forgive him, but Hinata believed they were on a good start. ''What about Hanabi and, um, Toneri-san?''

''No one knows about Hanabi's involvement, so naturally the heir position will be delegated to her. As for Toneri, he had accepted the news surprisingly well.''

Perhaps the story she had told him had struck a nerve. Hinata smiled. ''That's good. Thank you for telling me.''

''Don't stay here too long,'' Hiashi glanced over her shoulder. ''There's a home back at the mansion for you.''

''I'll keep that in mind.''

She closed the door and leaned her forehead against the surface.

This was fine. It wasn't as if Hinata held any strong ties to the heir position, but she couldn't say it didn't hurt a little bit.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and Naruto's chin came to rest on top of her head. ''You okay?''

In his arms, Hinata turned around and looked up at his face, stared into his crystal blue eyes that promised a beautiful future, watched his mouth curl up into a sweet, worried grin and she smiled.

Finally, she told him, ''I am now.''

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **END**

 **End notes: I want to thank everyone who took their time to read this story and stood by it even though it took me forever to update. Also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and or followed this story. You guys are amazing.**


End file.
